Global study shows income inequality, not poverty, tied to higher COVID-19 mortality rates

March 31, 2021

non-medial mask on top of money

In a groundbreaking study, Jim Davies, professor emeritus in the Department of Economics has shown that, across countries, income inequality — and not poverty — is associated with higher death rates in relation to COVID-19.

Jim Davies“It’s been known for a long time that where there’s greater income inequality, there are worse health outcomes,” Davies said. “I was curious about whether the same thing would be true with COVID-19. A few researchers have looked at whether poverty has an effect, but no one had looked at income inequality, which covers not just poor people, it’s everybody.”

His findings were published in the latest issue of CEPR COVID Economics.

Read the full story by Keri Ferguson