This book examines the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the degree of inequality in wellbeing (income and wealth, health, access to health care, employment, and education) in a number of different countries around the globe. The effect of socioeconomic inequality within a country on the outcome of the pandemic is also considered. This book studies the differential effects of Covid based on location, age, income, education, gender, race/ethnicity, and immigrant status. Special attention is devoted to indigenous populations and those who are institutionalized. The short- and long-term effects of public policy developed to deal with the pandemic’s fallout are studied, as are the effects of the pandemic on innovations in health care systems and likely extensions of public policy instituted during the pandemic to alleviate unemployment, poverty, and income inequality.
Author(s): Shirley Johnson-Lans
Series: Global Perspectives on Wealth and Distribution
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 294
City: Cham
Acknowledgments
Contents
Notes on Contributors
List of Figures
List of Tables
1 Introduction
1 Introduction
2 Comparison and Contrast with the Influenza Pandemic of 1918
3 Focus of This Book
Notes
References
2 The Response of the United States to the Coronavirus Pandemic
1 Introduction
2 The History of the US COVID-19 Pandemic
3 The Health Care Response
4 Economic Impact and Response
5 Evaluation of the Pandemic’s Effects
Appendices
Appendix Table 1
Appendix Table 2
Notes
References
3 Inequalities Associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic in Canada: The Legacy of Socio-Demographic Fault Lines and Inter-Provincial Differences
1 Epidemiology of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Canada: A Federation with Heterogeneous Policies and Outcomes
2 Inter-Provincial Inequalities in Health Systems Capacity
3 Inequalities in COVID-19 Risk of Infection and Mortality
4 Effect of COVID-19 on Socioeconomic Inequalities
5 Mitigating Risk of Poverty Through Policy
6 Conclusion
References
4 COVID-19 Inequalities in Brazil: Health, Education, and Social Assistance Policies
1 Introduction
2 Contextualizing COVID-19 in Brazil
3 Health
4 Education
5 Social Assistance
6 Conclusion
Notes
References
5 The Coronavirus Pandemic and Inequality in Italy
1 Introduction1
2 The Institutional Context and Socio-Economic Inequalities Before the Pandemic Outbreak
3 The Impact of the Pandemic
Income Inequality, Gender Gap, Intergenerational Differences and Poverty During the Pandemic
The Impact on Employment
The Impact on Poverty and Social Insurance Benefits
Measures Adopted by the Italian Government to Mitigate the Impact of the Pandemic on Employment and Socio-Economic Inequalities
Health and Healthcare Inequality During the Pandemic
The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Healthcare Provision
Regional Variations in Healthcare Provision and Income Inequality
Urgent Hospitalizations
Psychiatric Hospitalizations
Elective Hospital (Inpatient) Admissions
Screening
Differences in Attitudes Towards Vaccination
4 Conclusions
Appendix
Notes
References
6 The Coronavirus Pandemic: Ethiopia
1 Introduction
2 Ethiopian Context
HealthCare System
Socioeconomic and Health Inequalities Before the Coronavirus Pandemic
3 How the Coronavirus Pandemic Unfolded and Policy Responses
4 Effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic
Health Impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic
Economic Impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic
Educational Impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic
5 Compounding Crises
6 Conclusion
References
7 The Impact of COVID-19 on Household Welfare in the Comoros: The Experience of a Small Island Developing State
1 Introduction
2 Literature Review
3 Contextualization and Data Description
4 Empirical Methodology
Descriptive Regression Estimations
Causal Impact Estimation: Propensity Score Matching
5 Empirical Results
Robustness Checks
Extension: The Distributional Impact of COVID-19 in the Comoros
6 Conclusions
Appendix
Notes
References
8 Taiwan’s Response to the COVID-19 Crisis: Experience and Lessons
1 Brief History of the COVID-19 Crisis in Taiwan
Phase I January 2020–Mid-May 2021: Calm
Phase II Mid-May 2021–July 2021: Mini-Surge
Phase III August 2021–April 2022: Return of Calm
Phase IV Mid-April 2022–July 2022: Omicron Surge and Vast Majority of Cases and Deaths to Date
2 Taiwan’s COVID-19 Response: Role of Government, the Private Sector, and the Public
Phase I Response: Preparedness
Phase II Response: Navigating Through a Squall
Phase III Response: Calm Returns
Phase IV Response: Major Policy Shift from 0-COVID to Coexist with COVID
3 Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Taiwan’s Economy and Society
4 Lessons from Taiwan’s Handling of the Pandemic
Leadership, National Plan, and Early Action
IT and Communications Infrastructure
Solidarity and Cooperative Public
Notes
References
9 The Coronavirus Pandemic and Inequality: Australia
1 Introduction
2 Setting the Scene
A Snapshot of the Australian Economy in 2019
Economic Well-Being
The Australian Health System
3 Evolution of the Pandemic and Policy Reponses
The Health Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Fiscal Policy and the Socioeconomic Effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic
The Australian Economy in 2021
4 Evaluating the Effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic
Notes
References
10 Conclusion
1 The Effect of COVID-19 on Health of Populations
Deaths Per Million Population
Subgroups Whose Health Has Been Most Affected by COVID-19.
2 Controlling the Coronavirus and Mitigating Its Effects
3 Concluding Thoughts
Notes
References
Index
