Are we doing enough to address inequality?

This article looks ahead to the Scottish election in May 2021 which will take place in a world that we did not expect to find ourselves in. Many aspects of our lives have shifted since the start of 2020. There are new challenges that Covid-19 has placed upon our society. But some challenges were inherent before the crisis. Inequalities in our society remain prevalent and the pandemic has illuminated the impact that these inequalities have on people’s lives.
This article explores some of the evidence on inequalities, how Covid-19 has highlighted the harm they cause, and what can be done to shift the course of poverty and inequality in our society. The pandemic may have awakened a new dialogue on what a fairer economy should look like. However, we need more than words to make that vision a reality. The response to the crisis has also shown us that seismic policy shifts are possible, and if the same level of reprioritisation was directed, post-pandemic, at tackling poverty and inequality, then it is feasible that far reaching ambitions, such as those encapsulated in Scotland’s child poverty targets, could be realised.