Carol Rifelj Faculty Lecture - Gary Winslett, Department of Political Science

“Global Vaccine Inequality: Are International Trade Rules to Blame?”

COVID vaccines are now widely available across the Global North, but much of the Global South is still struggling to get access to them. Some people argue that global trade rules, specifically the trade-related intellectual property rules, are impeding access. Others say that it is mostly other factors causing the access disparity. The two sides are currently locked in a battle over whether to temporarily waive those rules. Are those rules to blame? Should they be temporarily waived and if so to what extent? In this lecture, based on his new book “Competitiveness and Death”, Gary Winslett discusses how the politics at the intersection of commerce and public health is shaping the response to an unprecedented pandemic.

Vaccinations and masks required.