Controlling the Damage: COVID-19’s Impact on Inequality

On June 21st, 2022, the AAPSS along with the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis and the Brookings Institution hosted a discussion examining how COVID-19 pushed our social safety net to its breaking points, and beyond. Low-wage and “essential” workers were among those hit hardest by the virus and its accompanying economic shocks. School closures and spiraling housing costs both worsened and spotlighted inequalities that long preceded the pandemic. As the nation navigates an uncertain—and uneven—recovery, it’s clear we must do better in confronting future crises. Lessons from the social sciences suggest policy approaches that can help strengthen our institutions and avoid even deeper inequality.

Moderator:
Zeke Emanuel, Vice Provost for Global Initiatives and the Diane S. Levy and Robert M. Levy University Professor, Co-Director of the Health Transformation Institute, University of Pennsylvania

Panelists:
Oren Cass, Executive Director, American Compass
Carol Graham, Leo Pasvolsky Senior Fellow and Research Director – Global Economy and Development, Brookings Institution
Bradley Hardy, Associate Professor, Georgetown University
Shannon Monnat, Professor, Syracuse University