Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Category
Social Sciences/Humanities
Abstract/Artist Statement
Covid-19, SARS-CoV-2, and Coronavirus are the many names of the threat humanity faces today. In this paper I ask “Why are some countries being more adversely affected by this pandemic than others?” To answer this question I test Marxist and constructivist theories about whether states with more economic freedom (capitalism) or more democratic ideology of freedom have more cases and fatalities. My first theory is that economic freedom (measured by the Heritage Foundation) increases Covid-19 cases given the emphasis placed on the economy rather than human life. My second theory is that more democratic states (measured by Freedom House) have more Covid-19 because they are socially constructed to emphasize personal freedom. The data I collected and analyzed supports both theories with regard to the number of Covid-19 cases. They explain fatalities less well, probably because capitalist states and democracies have more developed health capabilities.
Mentor Name
Karen Adams
Personal Statement
Covid-19 has reinvented a world we did not think could be reinvented. When you turn on the news, channel after channel, you see graphs and charts of a rising virus case and death toll across the world. Modern technologies and ideas protect us from many things, but they are also are what make a global pandemic not only a possibility but a reality. Countries have turned inward desperately trying to combat a virus that has yet to have a cure. Closing borders and limiting travel are one of the many ways states have sought to combat the spread of this virus. Many countries are facing an unprecedented number of cases, while others are facing little to no cases at all. Not only does Covid-19’s case and fatality rate make this virus important to study, but the impact it has had on an international level is important to understand. The ever evolving facts we learn about Covid-19 only increase the importance of documenting and understanding its spread. My research testing marxism and conservatism against the rate of spread is important to understand what is successful in flattening the curve and what is not. Not only is this research imperative for the present, but it will act as a placeholder for future research on the virus.
Will Our Freedom be Our Demise?
Covid-19, SARS-CoV-2, and Coronavirus are the many names of the threat humanity faces today. In this paper I ask “Why are some countries being more adversely affected by this pandemic than others?” To answer this question I test Marxist and constructivist theories about whether states with more economic freedom (capitalism) or more democratic ideology of freedom have more cases and fatalities. My first theory is that economic freedom (measured by the Heritage Foundation) increases Covid-19 cases given the emphasis placed on the economy rather than human life. My second theory is that more democratic states (measured by Freedom House) have more Covid-19 because they are socially constructed to emphasize personal freedom. The data I collected and analyzed supports both theories with regard to the number of Covid-19 cases. They explain fatalities less well, probably because capitalist states and democracies have more developed health capabilities.