Adam Smith Business School

A student essay about the impact of Covid-19 on the widening inequality gap in the UK has won first place in an Economic Futures competition.

Catherine Bouchard, third year Accountancy and Economics student at the Adam Smith Business School, wrote the work during lockdown as a way to stay productive and engaged with the outside world.

Catherine said: "This competition presented a great way to apply the theories I had learnt at university to one of the most significant events I have seen unfold in my life. Through writing this essay I became more appreciative of the complexities of the coronavirus crisis, and was particularly saddened by the uneven incidence of this crisis, with the burden falling on the groups of society that have historically been underrepresented in public policy.

"My essay focuses on the way Covid-19 has heightened pre-existing inequalities in the UK which has amplified the effects of Covid-19 on the most vulnerable members of society. One of the news stories I was most aware of was the rise in domestic violence over lockdown. I was inspired to write this article to call attention to this and explore these issues to learn more about them."

The 2020 Economic Futures Essay Competition was open to all Scottish students registered at a Scottish University studying Economics or an economics related subject.

Students were invited to write an essay on an Economics topic related to COVID-19. 

The top 4 essays will be published in the September edition of the Fraser of Allander Institute Economic Commentary.

Economic Futures is a project funded by the Scottish Funding Council. It aims to engage with undergraduate economics students, graduates and early career academics, across Scotland to provide an eco-system for applied economic analysis.

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Enquiries:Clairelouise.smith@glasgow.ac.uk

First published: 29 September 2020