announces a special issue on
The COVID-19 Shock to Our Deep Inequities: How to Mitigate the Impact
Submission deadline for proposals: August 31, 2020
Submission deadline for full manuscripts: October 31, 2020
Special issue editors:
Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Washington University in St. Louis
Edward Lawlor, Washington University in St. Louis
Carol Graham, The Brookings Institution
With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting nearly every area of household health, social, and economic well-being, individuals and communities across all parts of society are facing unprecedented challenges. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science invites papers for a special issue on strategies to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on exacerbating pre-existing inequalities.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light pre-existing challenges, such as racial disparity, poverty, housing and food insecurity, a frayed safety net, and health care deficits, all of which have resulted in a disproportionate impact of the disease on individuals with socioeconomic disadvantages. The special issue is looking for the social and economic equivalent of intersectionality in the risks and consequences to this pandemic. For example, how has the combined jeopardy of immigration, employment, geography, and the weakness of the social sector created such catastrophic effects for meat industry workers? Or that both low-income minorities in the city and largely white populations in poor rural areas share the same additional risk of higher mortality from the virus, due to higher levels of pre-existing conditions and inadequate access to health care?
Structural inequalities are hindering–and even incapacitating–our ability to deal with a major public health crisis such as this. Yet COVID-19 also provides an opportunity to implement creative and innovative solutions to support vulnerable individuals and ultimately promote an overall economic recovery and a more cohesive society.
Researchers in all relevant fields are encouraged to submit their work.
Suggested topics for the special issue include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Governance response to COVID-19: how it affects inequality;
- Extreme poverty, homelessness, and COVID-19 impacts;
- Health, place, and COVID-19;
- COVID-19 and the American workforce;
- COVID-19, race, and financial security;
- COVID-19 and the social sector;
- Challenges for special populations such as immigrants, persons with disabilities, or children in the child welfare system;
- The lessons of COVID-19 nursing home deaths;
- Social isolation in the COVID-19 era;
- Racial disparities in COVID-19;
- COVID-19 and the criminal justice system;
- Class and racial gaps in intergenerational mobility, and COVID-19.
Importantly, submissions should not only acknowledge these challenges and disparities, but should also propose solutions to mitigate and eliminate these inequalities in the post-pandemic recovery.
Proposals must receive approval from the editors before papers are submitted. Proposals should be around 1 to 2 pages in length, double-spaced, Times New Roman, font size 12. The proposal should include an abstract detailing the study, list of authors, and title. Authors should note how the proposed manuscript fits within the scope of the special issue.
Special issue proposals should be submitted to michalgw@wustl.edu by August 31, 2020.
Please address any additional questions or general inquiries to Michal Grinstein-Weiss, michalgw@wustl.edu, Carol Graham, cgraham@brookings.edu, and/or Edward Lawlor, elawlor@wustl.edu.
For more information about The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, please visit https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ann.
