The Unassuming Economist

From a paper by Liesel A. Ritchie, Susan L. Cutter, Nnenia Campbell, Melanie Gall:

“In the United States, segments of the population were suddenly and unexpectedly thrown into need during the COVID-19 pandemic and began to use food banks and other non-profit organizations providing food services. Here we examine the meaning of what we call the “new vulnerable.” The pandemic became a test of the entire food system, and clearly exposed the need for a re-examination of preparedness in the short run, and vulnerability and resilience in the long term. We explore whether the demographics associated with the drivers of vulnerability (e.g., ageism, racism, ethnocentrism) have changed. The lived experiences of vulnerable groups are defined by a form of epistemic and structural injustice—the dismissal of the knowledge of their own lives and needs that socially marginalized groups experience.”