Study launches into impact of lockdown

Researchers are to study the long-term impact of the UK's coronavirus lockdown on society.

Glasgow Caledonian University will examine the links between rising inequality and lockdowns enforced across Europe, the US and South America over the last two years.

The project will look at all aspects of social, economic, political, and cultural life and why women, minorities, and low-skilled workers were more adversely affected than others.

The consequences of the UK's emergency measures will be compared with the impact of lockdowns in countries including the US, Canada, Brazil, Colombia, Finland, Croatia, and Poland.

Dr James Foley, lecturer in politics at GCU and principal investigator, said: "When the pandemic started, there was a lot of talk about new forms of community and solidarity.

"Two years on, it’s far less clear. The wealth of the richest has increased substantially, while the poorest in society face the brunt of a cost-of-living crisis.

"Many predictions about the impact of the crisis on inequality have proved flawed. Part of our aim is to understand why."

The project, entitled ENDURE: Inequalities, Community Resilience and New Governance Modalities in a Post-Pandemic World, is being funded through The Trans-Atlantic Platform (T-AP) for Social Sciences and Humanities, an unprecedented collaboration between humanities and social science research funders.

Other aspects, carried out by international partners, will look at social media's role in the pandemic, social injustice, and political leadership in times of crisis.

As well as examining rising inequality, researchers will study whether governments can learn lessons from the past.

Dr Foley added: "It is widely assumed that the mobilisation and sense of solidarity surrounding the two World Wars helped build the case for public welfare and a more equal society.

"We will try to understand what is similar and what is different about the experience of lockdown and pandemic governance."