Termine & Aktivitäten

Di. 10.11.2020

Inequality has become an intractable feature of rich industrialized democracies, despite consensus that more social and economic equality is desirable. This resilience is due to two key phenomena: legacies from the past, in particular changes in the political economy of rich democracies since the 1970s, and elite discourses around inequality. Julia Lynch examines the political dynamics underlying the “new normal” of high and rising inequality since 1980 by tracing the largely unsuccessful attempts of west European governments to reduce socioeconomic inequalities in health. Lynch discusses how these phenomena have shaped governments‘ efforts to control health inequalities before and during the COVID era.

Julia Lynch is Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on the politics of inequality and social policy in the rich democracies, particularly the countries of western Europe. She has a special interest in comparative health policy and the politics of aging.