Will coronavirus lead to fairer societies? [Year 13 Enrichment Task]

This week's enrichment task for year 13 students asks them to consider the work of Thomas Piketty, a French economist. In a new book, Piketty explores the ineffectiveness of the traditional parties of left and right at coming up with solutions for redistributing wealth, and advances his own ideas for making economies fairer, including a global wealth tax to counter inequality.

The Guardian newspaper has looked at comparisons between the current pandemic and the 1918 flu, where 0.5% to 1% of the population perished in the US and Europe, compared with 6% in India. The Guardian says: "What is shocking about this pandemic is the very high levels of inequality that it is revealing. We’re also being confronted by the violence of that inequality, because lockdown in a big apartment is not the same as lockdown if you are homeless."

This is quoted from an article with an interview with Piketty, which forms the start-point of research for this week's enrichment task, asking students to answer this question: To what extent does the coronavirus pandemic give economies the opportunity to create fairer societies?

Yr 13 6 Will Coronavirus Lead To Fairer Societies