Recessions and the lack of jobs that ensues can lead more people to pursue education. This progress also affects subsequent generations.

A more educated workforce tends to make an economy more productive and profitable. The knock-on effects include society's health, lower crime rates, voting, and volunteering.

Economic crises often purge inefficient or out-of-date structures. New entities emerge in their place.

In early 2000, the Nasdaq stock exchange crashed after years of the share prices of online companies rising. Underperforming firms that based their growth on the hype around the internet closed. But the crash accelerated the rise of eBay, Google, Amazon, and other tech companies.