More than ever before, COVID-19 brutally laid bare the results of short-sighted austerity policies in health, education and social policy. All of that should now be corrected, using the limited funds available to the new government. In order to increase the fiscal capacity of the state, it is necessary to design a new growth model quickly and smartly.
The new Serbian government will undoubtedly face a challenge that has probably been encountered by few cabinets in previous history. The pandemic that seemingly has no end in sight has not only led to an unprecedented decline in GDP, in both developed and developing countries, but has had a fundamental impact on the structure of the global economy, business and development philosophies, and societal priorities: the importance of the state and its health, education and social protection systems have come to the fore, after having been continuously considered as costs to be cut in the previous period. Here our interlocutors provide their views on the short- and long-term priorities that should be addressed by the new prime minister and his cabinet.