COVID-19, poverty and inclusive development

Abstract

The COVID-19 epidemic provides yet another reason to prioritize inclusive development. Current response strategies of the global community and countries expose a low level of solidarity with poorer nations and poorer people in all nations. Against this background, this paper addresses the question: What are the development challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic lays bare and what lessons can be learnt for the way recovery processes are designed? Using an inclusive development and DPSIR lens to assess the literature, our study finds that, first, the current response prioritises the 'state' and 'impact' concerns of wealthier classes at the expense of the remainder of the world population. Second, responses have ignored underlying 'drivers' and 'pressures', instead aiming at a quick recovery of the economy. Third, a return to business-as-usual using government funding will lead to a vicious cycle of further ecological degradation, socio-economic inequality and domestic abuse that assist in exacerbating the drivers of the pandemic. We argue instead for an inclusive development approach that leads to a virtuous cycle by emphasizing human health, well-being and ecosystem regeneration. We conclude that the lost years for development did not commence in 2020 with the onset of COVID-19; the downward trend has actually been waxing over the past three decades. From this perspective, COVID-19 may be the shock needed to put the last first and transform vicious into virtuous cycles of inclusive development.

Keywords: COVID-19; DPSIR framework; Governance; Inclusive development; Securitization.

Fig. 1

World map showing the severity of COVID-19-related lockdowns based on the annual average score of the Government Stringency Index (Hale et al., 2020), and top ten countries with COVID-19 cases and death toll per 100,000 inhabitants in 2020 (Data source: Hale et al., 2020 and UN DESA 2019) (see Appendix 1 for details).

Fig. 2

Turning a vicious cycle into a virtuous cycle through inclusive development.