Site • RSS • Apple PodcastsDescription (podcaster-provided):
A discussion of the defining ethical challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, featuring world-renowned experts in ethics, public health, law, economics, public policy, and beyond. Hosted by Joshua Preiss, Director of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) at Minnesota State University, Mankato and the author of Just Work for All: The American Dream in the 21st Century (Routledge 2021). Visit pandemic-ethics.com for more information on recent and upcoming episodes.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Covid-19 ethics and public policy • vaccine mandates, trials, prioritization, intellectual property • pandemic modeling, data, lockdown evidence • debt crises, poverty, inequality, race • work, automation, care labor, nursing, childcare • business responsibility, property law, risk distributionThis podcast examines the ethical challenges raised by the Covid-19 pandemic through conversations with experts in philosophy, public health, law, economics, and public policy. Across episodes, it focuses on how societies should make decisions under uncertainty and risk, and what principles should guide government and institutional responses when evidence is incomplete and the stakes are high. A recurring theme is the relationship between scientific modeling, data collection, and policy choices such as lockdowns, including questions about what it means to “trust the science” and what standards of evidence public authorities owe citizens.
Vaccine-related issues are a central strand, including the ethics of clinical trials after emergency authorization, fair allocation when supply is limited, and the legal and moral arguments for or against mandatory vaccination by governments and private organizations. The podcast also considers global justice questions tied to vaccine access, intellectual property rules, and proposals aimed at widening distribution while addressing incentives and compensation for research and development.
Beyond biomedical ethics, the show addresses the pandemic’s economic and social impacts, including rising sovereign debt and potential debt crises, the responsibilities of creditors and international institutions, and how property law and market structures shape inequality and security during emergencies. Several discussions concentrate on essential work and care labor—nursing, childcare, and other forms of frontline and care work—asking how institutions value these roles, how risks and burdens are distributed, and what policies could reduce vulnerability and improve working conditions. The podcast also explores how the pandemic interacts with existing racial and economic disparities, and what reforms might support a more equitable post-pandemic society.
| Episodes: |
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Should Vaccination Be Mandatory? 2021-May-04 44 minutes |
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Modeling the Covid-19 Pandemic 2021-Apr-05 42 minutes |
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Responsibility for Debt and Crisis 2021-Mar-22 47 minutes |
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Covid, Poverty, and Intellectual Property 2021-Feb-24 42 minutes |
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Covid-19 and the Future of Work 2021-Feb-17 34 minutes |
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Vaccine Ethics 2021-Feb-08 27 minutes |
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Childcare in the Time of Covid 2021-Feb-01 27 minutes |
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Nursing in a Pandemic 2021-Jan-18 31 minutes |
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Business Ethics in a Pandemic 2021-Jan-10 48 minutes |
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Care in Crisis 2021-Jan-04 52 minutes |
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Race, Justice, and the Pandemic 2020-Dec-16 35 minutes |
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Who Gets the Vaccine First? 2020-Dec-10 25 minutes |
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Property Law and the Pandemic 2020-Dec-02 22 minutes |
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Risk, Ethics, and Public Policy During the Covid-19 Pandemic. 2020-Nov-22 45 minutes |