| Chapter title | Life or Livelihood? COVID- 19 in the UK and the Existential Question of Our Times |
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| Authors | D'Souza, R. |
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| Editors | Thobani, S. |
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| Abstract | Covid-19 presented the UK government with the impossible choice between prioritising lives or livelihoods. This chapter probes the dilemma arguing that it is undergirded by the structural disjuncture between economy and society in liberal democracies. The chapter draws attention to parallel developments in economic and social regulation in which labour markets are deregulated and at the same time equality and non-discrimination laws are strengthened and codified. The two parallel processes are paradoxical as the legal regime takes away with one hand what it gives with the other. Consequently, marginalised communities remain marginalised despite equality laws. Paradoxes reveal unresolved theoretical problems that require further study. UK’s post-Covid-19 economic recovery plans fail to address the relationship between labour market deregulation and its impact on marginalised communities. |
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| Keywords | Labour market deregulation; Equality Act 2010; protected characteristics; post-Covid-19 recovery; structural disjuncture. |
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| Book title | The Deadly Intersections: of Covid-19: Race, States, Inequalities and Global Society |
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| Page range | 54-68 |
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| Year | 2022 |
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| Publisher | Bristol University Press |
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| Publication dates |
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| Published | 15 Jul 2022 |
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| Place of publication | Bristol |
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| Edition | 1st |
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| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv2sjj0dn |
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| Web address (URL) | https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-deadly-intersections-of-covid-19 |
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