Distinguished Speaker series with Professor Richard Blundell
Published: 8 February 2022
21 March 2022. Inequality and the Covid Crisis
Inequality and the Covid Crisis
With Professor Richard Blundell, University College London and Institute for Fiscal Studies
21 March 2022
5.00pm - 6.00pm
Senate Room, University of Glasgow
We are delighted to welcome Professor Richard Blundell, University College of London and Institute for Fiscal Studies, as the first guest speaker of our Distinguished Speaker series of 2022. Professor Blundell will talk about the challenges of inequality and the Covid Crisis. The seminar is open to all and will include a Q&A session.
Far from pushing inequality down the agenda, the Covid-19 pandemic has reinforced the need to deal with the challenges posed by inequality. It has highlighted many existing inequalities - in education, training, income, work, health, savings and wealth. At the same time opening up a new fissures in society along dimensions that were previously less significant – working at home, digital access, space at home. Will there be a new emphasis on building a fairer society even with the challenge of doing so with unprecedented levels of (peace time) debt? Or will the impact of the pandemic spur further rises in inequality? Furlough and increases in welfare-benefits have provided a temporary shield and the vaccine success has helped speed up recovery, but severe longer-term inequality challenges remain.
Professor Sir Richard Blundell, CBE FBA holds the David Ricardo Chair of Political Economy at University College London. He is Director of the ESRC Centre for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). His published papers on microeconometrics, consumer behaviour, savings, labour supply, taxation, public finance, innovation, and inequality have appeared in the top academic journals. He was an editor and panel member of the IFS Mirrlees Review: Tax Reform for the 21st Century. He is currently editor and panel member of the IFS-Deaton Review: Inequality in the 21st Century.
Further information: business-events@glasgow.ac.uk
First published: 8 February 2022