The Political Economy of Vaccines during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Contributors to this special issue examine the political and economic factors behind global, regional, and local maldistribution of vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic; what the pandemic reveals about global and national health governance in regard to vaccines; and how studying the political economy of vaccines can inform our responses to other global health problems that require collective action. "The articles in this issue speak to a recent turn in the field of political economy," write the editors in the introduction. "State regulations and other policy actions can create the basis for stable markets, prices, and economic growth as much as they can serve as a hindrance to free trade, economic expansion, or accumulating profits." The authors unpack the domestic factors driving state policy outcomes, including barriers to vaccine access posed by inadequate supply chains serving low- and middle-income countries; a case study of South Korea's Vaccine Procurement Task Force to examine the role of expertise in vaccine procurement decisions; and differences between media coverage of Western and Chinese vaccines, with Western vaccines portrayed more negatively than their Chinese counterparts.

Contributors: Akini Lisa Agutu, Frida Boräng, Mirella Cacace, Ruth Carlitz, Michele Castelli, Patrick J. Chester, Sara E. Fischer, Ashley Fox, Holly Jarman, Elizabeth J. King, Matthew M. Kavanagh, Elize Massard de Fonseca, Herschel Nachlis, June Park, Victor Shih, Kyle Thomson, Federico Toth, Lucia Vitale