The 2019 Oscar-winning film Parasite attracted a global audience for its arresting portrayal of South Korea's stark income inequality. The movie's rendering of a low-income household's acute sense of alienation resonated widely, no doubt because similar sentiments are palpable in many other countries. And the gap between the haves and have-nots is growing, thanks to the dual challenges of Covid-19 and climate change.
The poor suffer the most in times of crisis because they lack the social capital that protects those who are better off. To paraphrase Martin Luther King Jr, the arc of inequality bends toward more inequality. That makes it imperative for policymakers to address the widening divide between rich and poor and craft adequate safety nets for those most in need.
