And COVID-19-related lockdowns in China are likely to exacerbate ongoing supply chain disruptions. Over the past year, inflation also increased rapidly in many foreign economies, as discussed in a box in the June Monetary Policy Report. Overall economic activity edged down in the first quarter, as unusually sharp swings in inventories and net exports more than offset continued strong underlying demand.
Cary Funk, Meg Hefferon, Brian Kennedy, and Courtney Johnson (2019), “Trust and Mistrust in Americans’ Views of Scientific Experts”, Pew Research Center. 2 August, 2019.  https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2019/08/02/partisanship-influences-views-on-the-roleand-value-of-scientific-experts-in-policy-debates/. 7. OECD (2017), “Trust and Public Policy: How Better Governance Can Help Rebuild Public Trust”, OECD Public Governance Reviews, OECD Publishing, Paris. 8.