Inequality best predicts how nations handle pandemics: study
A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that economic inequality is a better predictor of pandemic outcomes than traditional preparedness metrics. Researchers argue that countries with lower inequality fared better during the COVID-19 and AIDS crises regardless of their technical capacity.
Why it matters
The findings challenge conventional wisdom on global health security and suggest that social policy is as critical as medical infrastructure.
Economic inequality is the clearest way to predict how countries will fare during a pandemic, a high-profile panel said Wednesday, calling for a rethink in how governments prepare for the next global health crisis.
The research, which was published in a prestigious journal and will be presented at a major AIDS conference in Brazil, pushed back against traditional measures of pandemic preparedness.
"For decades the world judged how ready a country is for a pandemic by counting its laboratories, stockpiles and response plans," study co-author and economics Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz said.
"This research shows that this is not enough," he added in a statement. "High economic inequality can leave even wealthy, well-equipped nations dangerously exposed."
The United States and United Kingdom topped pandemic preparedness indexes, yet during the Covid-19 pandemic both recorded significantly more cases and deaths than the global average.
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