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The chapter examines the ongoing, frequently imperceptible differences in access to necessities, a problem that has been sharply highlighted and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This chapter demonstrates how structural and systemic forces influence not just what is available, but also for whom and under what circumstances, despite the notion that fundamental necessities should be provided universally by global narratives of abundance and technological advancement. The chapter demonstrates how availability inequality functions at the nexus of policy, infrastructure, market dynamics, and social hierarchies through a variety of international case studies, including food insecurity in the US and the UK, vaccine access in high- and low-income countries, educational disruptions from Nepal to South Africa, and the uneven geography of healthcare and housing. By acting as a potent magnifying glass, the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the underlying systems of privilege, exclusion, and scarcity that existed before the crisis. The lines of poverty, migratory status, gender, age, race, and location were consistently followed by patterns of deprivation. In addition to shortages, availability inequality also included who was most likely to experience them and why. For already vulnerable groups, disadvantages were exacerbated by digital gaps, brittle supply chains, and insufficient social protections. The chapter concludes that systemic reform—which includes investing in universal infrastructures, focusing on the needs of the marginalized, reevaluating market roles, and integrating accessibility into all stages of provision—is necessary to address availability inequality, going beyond temporary emergency solutions. Societies can create resilience, promote fairness, and guarantee that availability is acknowledged as a right rather than a privilege by addressing the systemic causes of scarcity and exclusion. This will set the stage for a more equitable and inclusive post-pandemic future. This also reflects on the ideals of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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Rationed Futures and Invisible Shortages: Structural Dimensions of Availability Inequality

  • 章节

  • 发表日期：

    2025年

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  • Ali Cheshmehzangi,
  • Tong Zou

摘要

The chapter examines the ongoing, frequently imperceptible differences in access to necessities, a problem that has been sharply highlighted and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This chapter demonstrates how structural and systemic forces influence not just what is available, but also for whom and under what circumstances, despite the notion that fundamental necessities should be provided universally by global narratives of abundance and technological advancement. The chapter demonstrates how availability inequality functions at the nexus of policy, infrastructure, market dynamics, and social hierarchies through a variety of international case studies, including food insecurity in the US and the UK, vaccine access in high- and low-income countries, educational disruptions from Nepal to South Africa, and the uneven geography of healthcare and housing. By acting as a potent magnifying glass, the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the underlying systems of privilege, exclusion, and scarcity that existed before the crisis. The lines of poverty, migratory status, gender, age, race, and location were consistently followed by patterns of deprivation. In addition to shortages, availability inequality also included who was most likely to experience them and why. For already vulnerable groups, disadvantages were exacerbated by digital gaps, brittle supply chains, and insufficient social protections. The chapter concludes that systemic reform—which includes investing in universal infrastructures, focusing on the needs of the marginalized, reevaluating market roles, and integrating accessibility into all stages of provision—is necessary to address availability inequality, going beyond temporary emergency solutions. Societies can create resilience, promote fairness, and guarantee that availability is acknowledged as a right rather than a privilege by addressing the systemic causes of scarcity and exclusion. This will set the stage for a more equitable and inclusive post-pandemic future. This also reflects on the ideals of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).