What are the ethical tradeoffs involved in decisions to mandate the wearing of masks or "lockdown" schools, restaurants, and other public spaces? What do we owe to those who take on additional risk to provide essential services during the pandemic? In what ways can/should ethics inform public policy during and after the crisis?
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Much of existing inequality is shaped by property law that priviledges some individuals and their assets over others, particularly in times of crisis. How does the evolution of property law and property rights help determine vulnerability and precarity in the pandemic, with growing profits for some and crippling debt for others? What policies will be essential to a robust and inclusive post-pandemic economic recovery?
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This episode considers the principles that ought to govern the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines. What is the case for and against vaccine nationalism? How might existing models and allocation plans fail to show equal moral concern for those most vulnerable to harm from Covid-19 and the pandemic-related economic crisis?
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In this episode, we discuss the racial wealth divide in the United States and the role historical injustice plays in determining vulnerability during the pandemic. In what ways does the crisis appear to be exacerbating wealth and health inequalities? What policies can ensure a more just and secure post-Covid society?
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Chief of Race, Wealth, and Community
National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC)
The pandemic underscores the importance of care and the workers essential to providing that care. In this episode we ask if policy and politics reflect that importance. What reforms could help countries best meet the care needs of their citizens during the pandemic (and beyond), while combating inequalities in and from gendered divisions-of-labor?
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In this episode we discuss the responsibility of business during the current economic and public health crisis. In what ways, if any, do the failures of government agents to effectively respond to the crisis shape these responsibilities? What duties, if any, do creditors and landlords have to those unable to make payments due to Covid-19 driven unemployment?
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Assistant Professor of Management
Loyola University Chicago Quinlan School of Business
In this episode we discuss nursing during a global pandemic. What challenges do nurses face duirng the pandemic? What is the morale of members of the nursing profession, and are their concerns and expertise taken seriously? What practices or policies can make it easier (or harder) for nurses to continue to perform their essential work effectively?
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In this episode we consider the role of childcare and early childhood education in contemporary society and the challenges facing providers during the pandemic. Do providers have the resources necessary to perform that essential work? How can public policy better reflect the importance of this work and the value of workers who perform it, both during and after Covid-19?
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In this episode we consider essential questions for the production and distribution of vaccines. What is the ethics of ongoing vaccine trials, including the unblinding of those who recived a placebo, now that vaccines have been licensced for emergency use? Are current methods of vaccine distribution just and efficient? What can and should be done differently?
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The pandemic is accelerating trends toward greater automation and digitization in the economy. In this episode we consider the economic and moral impact of these trends, including rising inequality in and a greater capital share of the fruits of economic growth. How does government policy actually subsidize labor-replacing technology? Why might institutional reforms be necessary to encourage worker-friendly innovation and a free and inclusive post-Covid economy?
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In this episode we discuss the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the global poor and the role that intellectual property plays in facilitating (or hindering) vaccine production and distribution. In what ways might an approach centered on advanced market commitments (AMC) engender vaccine hoarding? What is the ethical and economic case for moving Covid-19 vaccine technology into the public domain (and how should pharmaceutical companies be compensated)?
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Debt has risen dramatically as a result of the pandemic, with many countries likely to face sovereign debt crises in the years to come, even if they spend comparatively little keep their citizens safe, housed, and fed during the crisis. What principles ought to govern the repayment of such debt? What responsibilities do governments, private creditors, and NGOs have to ensure that the servicing of debt doesn't perpetuate injusitce and bring about further economic and humanitarian crises?
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How is the admonishment to "trust the science" different in the case of Covid than the human impact on climate change? How do scientists create models under conditions of great uncertainty? Did governmental decisions to impose lockdowns violate a duty to base those decisions on sufficiently robust scientific evidence?
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What are the central ethical and legal principles involved in decisions to make vaccination mandatory? Should the same principles that apply to goverments also apply to employers and other associations? Are there relevant differences between vaccinations for Covid and other infectious diseases, such as measles or polio?
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