Ports are overflowing with shipping containers, manufacturers are scrambling to find materials, stores are running low on goods, and banking experts predict spiraling inflation as the world grapples with the so-called “Great Supply Chain Disruption” of 2021. Are the global shortages simply the effect of pandemic-related shutdowns, or is the planet’s production system in need of a massive overhaul? In this edition of Weekend Reader, we highlight several stories that delve deep into the supply chain woes spreading across the globe — and explore how part of the blame can be traced back to corporate monopolies and neoliberal outsourcing policies.

Read all about it in this week’s Weekend Reader, exclusively for paying subscribers below.