Who gets the benefits of Zero-sum in a global financial crisis?

Although I have some basic knowledge about economy, I would really call myself ignorant in the crisis situations. My question is this:





On a typical global recession or crisis, inflation in the markets in the whole world rise. The power of buying for individuals in all countries (or maybe most countries) decline, the grain prices rise (and there is also scarcity for those type of goods), people cannot buy more cars, banks start to interrogate their sustainability, etc. Well, it seems everyone loses globally. However, if the economy is a zero-sum game, and if "1 - 1 = 0";





1) While everyone is at negative (-1) situation, who is at the positive (+1) situation, to make the equation equal to zero? Therefore, if most of the people in the world are affected badly by the situation, then there must be at least some people vacuum all the benefit for themselves. Who are they, and how can they do this?





2) Or, can we think the situation as this:


For instance, consider that after the recession; the inflation in US or European countries are 3%, while it is 15% in China. With such basic thinking, we can say that African countries are in 12% worse condition than the others, therefore China lost the game (-1) and, US%26amp;Europe benefited as much as they can (+1); thus resulting in zero again. Therefore everyone loses, but the ones who lose more are the ones really affected bad.





3) Or; am I really thinking wrong with both of my theorems. If so, what is the real thing happened?





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Another question:





In the subprime mortgage crisis started in a couple of years ago, we can basicly say that there are three main parties:


- People who own sub-prime mortgages lost the game because they are under debt that they cannot afford to pay,


- Creditors of the mortgages lost the game because they are inable to collect their investments back,


- Intermediary institutions (banks) lost the game because they are in debt to the creditors.





All the three parties lost the game, and who won?





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Sorry my English is not to good but I tried to be as much as clear I can be. Thank you for reading and replying.|||It is not a zero-sum situation.



Reduce your analysis to a simple economy of just two people, a farmer and a fisherman. By exchanging fish and vegetables, they both profit. They each have more time for harvesting timber, building houses and furniture, raising families, clearing land, and improving their lives; the entire economy grows. If, however, one of them gets sick and cannot exchange fish and vegetables, then the other suffers as well, the entire small economy contracts.



Similarly in a global economic crisis, when lending tightens, everyone has less of everything. No one is taking the profits, goods, and services that are not being had by others. The entire economy becomes less active and even the richest people have less than before.