How Europe manages to keep a lid on coronavirus unemployment while it spikes in the U.S.

Spain's collectivist culture, free public-health system, and economic support structures have helped the country to combat the spread of coronavirus. One measure – known as "temporary employment regulation file, or expediente de regulación temporaria de empleo" – specifically helps those who would have otherwise lost their jobs due to business closures by allowing the employer to sign his or her employees up :to get paid by the state a monthly amount of approximately 70 percent of her/his latest taxable salary."

The Swiss government's economic stimulus package for small business is being lauded around the world for its speed and efficiency. They have pledged $40 billion in emergency loans to support small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. The application is only a page long, the loan is interest-free, and businesses receive the money almost immediately. Their success is credited to their insular network of businesses and political elites that made the rollout exceptionally quick.

Finland, Norway, and Denmark are three countries that have largely been able to contain the spread of COVID-19 and keep average daily deaths low, by implementing some of the "most relaxed combinations of restrictions." Although the virus has not been entirely eradicated, the success so far has been tied to a high rate of public compliance, preventative measures, and clear communication.

After facing staffing shortages during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, the Minnesota Department of Human Services developed an aggressive emergency hiring initiative ahead of potential new outbreaks. Using third-party staffing agencies and encouraging applicants from all backgrounds – like those recently unemployed from the service industry – the initiative has "provided rapid relief to dozens of nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, group homes, homeless shelters and substance abuse treatment centers."

Despite a nationwide months-long coronavirus lockdown in Norway, the economy was able to remain stable due to a "decades-long effort to create an equitable economy" that helped the government to enact a package that provided businesses and self-employed individuals' tax relief and deferrals. Although Norwegians pay roughly the same amount of taxes that Americans do, their taxes largely pay for social welfare programs which include unemployment benefits, retirement pay, and health care coverage. This "national ethos of economic equity" is what helped the country to navigate the pandemic.

Germany has weathered the pandemic with lower illness rates than its neighbors and a relatively strong economy thanks to leadership and responses that have evolved and helped the country thrive in the three decades since reunification. The author of the book "Why the Germans Do It Better: Notes from a Grown-Up Country" reports on the blend of governing, business, and social approaches to challenges – rooted in a concept of "social trust" in the state and society, and a steady, deliberate, caring mindset – that help the country confront a contagion, a recession, or a refugee crisis.

The Maryland Department of Information Technology adapted an existing system to quickly distribute small-business grants and loans due to Covid-19. The Maryland OneStop platform, a single site for state licenses, permits, and certifications, was built with an agile approach decoupling front-end user experience from the back-end where the program does the work, which allowed quick front end modifications to launch the loan and grants online when coronavirus hit. The system processed 18,000 applications in the first 3 days and 56,000 within a month. The success was preceded by many years of planning and work.

The town of Tenino, Washington has begun to print their own unique money during the coronavirus pandemic to both ward of the economic fallout and help those who are facing financial insecurity. Similar to efforts from the city's past as well as that of other small towns, the locally-printed wooden dollars can only be spent at local businesses and for basic needs, with the mayor explaining, "Amazon will not be accepting wooden dollars.”

The Netherlands approach of balancing the potential for future economic hardship with the current risk of Covid-19 spreading has appeared to have helped the country to flatten the curve of cases faster than other areas that implemented mandatory lockdown measures. Although critics of this "controlled distribution" approach point out that the country has still seen thousands of deaths and could see future waves of outbreaks, at this point in time, "the Netherlands has both flattened the curve and kept life tolerable."

The local government in Maricá, a small municipality in Brazil, is being said to have initiated "the most ambitious city-level response to COVID-19 in Brazil, and one of the most notable in the world." Even before the coronavirus spread, the city worked on the premise of mutual aid, which included a universal basic income and a solidarity economy. In the context of the coronavirus, these proactive policies are now emerging as examples of how a democratized economy can result in a region being better positioned to withstand a public health crisis.