By the way, do you consider the urgency of the moment? I mean, do we have to stick to our paradigm in times like these? Or is this a time to appreciate the pros of centralization? Admit it or not, centralization and decentralization have their own fair share of pros and cons.
Of course, needs, circumstances, ground situations, and so on are never centralized; they vary from one local to another. But then the central bank or government is the sole source of a much-needed stimulus when a crisis like this happens. And to make sure the smaller government units remain functional and the people themselves are kept protected, the central authority will have to decide on injecting huge amount of money from god knows where.
Centralization is merely another word for: single point of failure.
Had food production, drug production, refining of raw materials, energy generation and overall infrastructure been more decentralized by design. The public could be in a better position to self isolate and wait out the virus.
Stimulus will cost trillions. Its an inefficient and non ideal method of solving basic issues allowing people to self isolate. Especially with banks, governments and corporations being in vulnerable positions. If communities were self sufficient. Grew their own food, owned their own land, produced their own energy. They wouldn't need a massive stimulus bailout. I think that's a potential path to consider for the future.
Who else thinks that this is a very well thought out Chinese move to finally shift the center of global power decisively in its favor.
The actions of the Chinese always remind me of Talia-Al-Ghul in Dark Knight rises:
You see, it's the slow knife, the knife that takes it's time, the knife that waits years without forgetting, then slips quietly between the bones. That's the knife, that cuts deepest.
The chinese knife has been waiting for over a century now since the humiliation of the opium wars and the "Cutting of the Chinese melon". You guys really think the people who invented gunpowder, rocketry, paper and gave the British the idea of a Civil Services were actually going to let it go?
If it was a deliberate move on china's behalf, their efforts appear rushed and disorganized. It reflects desperation, more than carefully weighed or planned strategy imo. Rather than guaranteeing china victory, it could carry an opposite effect. People may blame china when they lose relatives and family members. China could be blamed when jobs and lost, bills can't be paid. Shortages of food, water and basic supplies.
Whoever is in charge of things would appear to be isolated from average everyday people. Perhaps enough so that they made major miscalculations. Not only in their handling of the virus but also in the way they have the media covering things.