EPISODE · Jan 16, 2026 · 1H 12M
Did COVID Expose Our Biggest Weakness?
from Cornell Keynotes · host Frances Lee
BOOK: In Covid's Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us In In Covid's Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us, authors Frances Lee and Stephen Macedo examine the unprecedented mobilization of emergency powers during the COVID-19 pandemic, when nearly half the world's population was under quarantine by April 2020. Their eye-opening analysis questions how institutions responded to the crisis, why pre-existing pandemic plans were ignored, and how COVID-19 policies often benefited the "laptop class" while leaving essential workers exposed, revealing how scientific discourse became increasingly politicized as reasonable dissent was marginalized.In this Keynote from Cornell's College of Arts & Sciences, Princeton Professor Frances Lee will speak about her best-selling book, offering a comprehensive — and candid — political assessment of how U.S. institutions fared during this historic global crisis. This timely discussion will explore the successes and failures of America's pandemic response and its implications for future crisis management. Follow eCornell on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and X.
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Princeton Professor Frances Lee examines how American institutions failed during COVID-19, from ignoring pre-existing pandemic plans to implementing policies that protected the privileged while exposing essential workers, and explores what these failures mean for future crisis management.
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Did COVID Expose Our Biggest Weakness?
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