Counting the cost of Covid: Economy, Gender, Health
Richard Cooke, (Head of Family Medicine & Primary Care at Wits) will be hosting a discussion between Imraan Valodia (Dean of the Faculty of Commerce, Law & Management and Professor of Development Economics at Wits) and Daniela Casale (Associate Professor of Economics at Wits) to kick off the Wits Pandemic Pangolin webinar series.
Imraan will give an overview of economic debates and theories, subjected to the testing reality of this pandemic. Daniela will draw on her original research data about gender and poverty, and speak directly to Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Lockdown. Exploring women’s experiences of the pandemic along the axis of gender inequality, the speakers will calibrate the effect of social grants, leading into a broader discussion of the social protection system; the workings of the new “covid grant”; and debating the “patchwork of social protection” versus a “universal grant” approach. The remaining 20 mins will explore issues of public trust, solidarity, and of course fiscal constraints. Richard will draw the discussion back to the view from health systems, and the human face of health and poverty. Audience participation and questions will be welcomed.
