COVID-19 and the Political Economy of Global Crisis: Biosecurity, Power, and Inequality

This paper explores the COVID-19 pandemic as a turning point in the global political economy, examining how health emergencies reshape power relations and deepen inequality. Using concepts from biosecurity, critical development, and crisis capitalism, it argues that COVID-19 exposed systemic dependency and elite opportunism, particularly in Africa. The study connects governance, surveillance, and economic policy to reveal how crises are instrumentalized for political control and profit consolidation. It contributes to debates on global governance, ethics, and post-pandemic resilience, highlighting pathways toward more equitable, transparent, and sustainable systems of international cooperation.