ABSTRACT
In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Argentina followed other governments in implementing lengthy lockdowns for most of 2020 and a shorter period in 2021. The country is characterised by deep layers of socioeconomic hardship that have worsened in a cyclical fashion since the dictatorship of the 1970s through the 2001 default until today’s pandemic. Several international financial institutions have played a role in Argentina’s financial restructuring and contributed to historic amounts of debt. In other words, indebtedness is a major issue in modern Argentina, and this essay discusses the added financial and social cost that lockdowns mean for the country. This chapter looks at the macroeconomic challenges first before moving onto the socioeconomic impacts on employment and social assistance. It argues that the government continues to be ill-equipped to fully respond to the complex needs of society in a sustainable manner and is responsible for normalising crises to the extent of making emergency measures largely ineffective. The economic results of extended lockdowns have been further entrenched poverty, increased unemployment, and economic insecurity.
