How Can Local Governments Address Pandemic Inequities?

Author/Creator ORCID

Date

2020-06-02

Department

Program

Citation of Original Publication

Aaron Deslatte, Megan E. Hatch and Eric Stokan, How Can Local Governments Address Pandemic Inequities?, PAR, https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13257

Rights

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This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Aaron Deslatte, Megan E. Hatch and Eric Stokan, How Can Local Governments Address Pandemic Inequities?, PAR, https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13257, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13257.

Subjects

Abstract

COVID‐19 is exposing a nexus between communities disproportionately suffering from underlying health conditions, policy‐reinforced disparities, and susceptibility to the disease. As the virus spreads, policy responses will need to shift from focusing on surveillance and mitigation to recovery and prevention. Local governments, with their histories of mutual aid and familiarity with local communities, are capable of meeting these challenges. However, funding must flow in a flexible enough fashion for local governments to tailor their efforts to preserve vital services and rebuild local economies. We argue in this article that the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) programs are mechanisms for how to provide funds in a manner adaptable to local context while also focusing on increasing social equity. Administrators must emphasize the fourth pillar of public administration ‐‐ social equity ‐‐ in framing government responses to the pandemic.