Abstract

The post-pandemic global economy has experienced multidimensional pressures rooted in disrupted supply chains collapsed consumption patterns labour displacement and unprecedented fiscal interventions. Although the world has gradually moved towards economic normalisation after the COVID-19 crisis the pathways of recovery remain uneven due to persistent inflationary pressures and recurring recession risks. This paper evaluates the structural short-term and long-term economic factors that shaped the inflation–recession cycle during and after the pandemic period. The study argues that the pandemic accelerated existing vulnerabilities in global finance including excessive debt accumulation supply-chain dependency on limited geographies digital divide energy volatility and monetary policy limitations. Drawing from contemporary global data trends this research establishes how the demand–supply imbalance continued policy uncertainty weak consumer confidence and energy price surges created infl