Racial Equity, COVID-19, and Public Policy

Racial Equity, COVID-19, and Public Policy: The Triple Pandemic focuses on the health, economic, and justice impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on racial equity. The book does not simply document the problems made worse by the pandemic, but it provides historical context for issues that rose to the surface in new ways, the existing inequities revealed during COVID-19, as well as policy responses to those issues. The volume is distinguished in its focus on the implications for racial equity through an examination of both existing public policy and new ideas for change.

The chapters in this volume demonstrate the ways in which this period of American history and politics is unique, most notably in the convergence of major threats to public health, economic livelihood, and access to justice. This “triple pandemic” will be felt in the coming years and will continue to unfold, depending upon the adequacy of the contemporary response. This edited volume is designed to provide the reader with a thorough understanding of issues including policing, housing, business, disaster response, education, immigration, vaccine distribution, reentry of justice-involved individuals, and the responses to public protests―all with a unifying focus on racial inequities and social justice concerns that elevated these issues to broader public attention and political response. This coalescing emphasis on public policy as both a cause and effect to address these issues makes the book a unique contribution to the public policy literature. This book responds to audiences seeking a better understanding of the events that occurred, the conditions that set the stage for their eruption into wider public view, and what might be done to prevent social and racial inequities in the future.

Elsie L. Harper-Anderson is Associate Professor and Director of the Ph.D. program at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs. Her research examines the impact of macroeconomic transformation on regional economies and urban labor markets with a focus on social equity and sustainability. Her current research focuses on understanding entrepreneurial ecosystems and their impact on building inclusive economies. Other research interests include understanding and enhancing the connection between workforce development and economic development. Dr. Harper-Anderson serves as Chair of the Governing Board of the Urban Affairs Association and the Diversity Committee of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning. Prior to academia, her work included experience evaluating economic development, workforce development, and housing programs for local, state, and federal agencies. She has also worked as a practitioner administering federal housing and economic development programs. She teaches courses in economic development, labor and employment, and urban economic development policy. Dr. Harper-Anderson earned her Ph.D. degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.S. degree in Public Management and Policy from Carnegie Mellon University, and a B.S. degree in Political Science from Lincoln University of Pennsylvania.

Jay S. Albanese is a professor and criminologist in the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU. He received his Ph.D. degree from the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University. Dr. Albanese served as Chief of the International Center at the National Institute of Justice, the research arm of the US Department of Justice. He is the author and editor of 22 books and more than 100 journal articles and book chapters on the issues of organized crime, corruption, ethics, transnational crime, and criminal justice. Dr. Albanese is the recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award from VCU, the Gerhard Mueller Award for research contributions from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences International Section, the Freda Adler Distinguished Scholar Award from the American Society of Criminology Division of International Criminology, and the Outstanding Faculty Award, Virginia’s highest honor for a faculty member at public or private colleges and universities. He is a past president and fellow of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. Dr. Albanese is also a principal with the NGO Criminologists Without Borders. www.jayalbanese.com.

Susan T. Gooden, Ph.D., is dean and professor at the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU. She is an internationally recognized expert on social equity. Gooden is an elected fellow of the congressionally chartered National Academy of Public Administration, president of the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration, and past president of the American Society for Public Administration. Her books include Global Equity in Administration: Nervous Areas of Governments (2020, Routledge); Why Research Methods Matter (2018, Melvin and Leigh); Race and Social Equity: A Nervous Area of Government (2014, Routledge); and Cultural Competency for Public Administrators (2012, Routledge).