How Economic Inequality and Social Policy Shape Pandemic Outcomes with Troy Tassier

We’ve got a truly special episode out today on the Promote Profit Publish channel! This time, Peter Boland sits down with economist and author Troy Tassier, whose book The Rich Flee and the Poor Take the Bus has everyone talking—about pandemic fallout, social policy, and our collective future.Whether you love big ideas about economics or just want to understand what REALLY happened during COVID, this episode is for you.Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:How social networks shape health outcomes – Troy Tassier explains the surprising influence of everyday connections on who gets sick and why.The pandemic wasn’t “the great equalizer” – We break down why COVID impacted communities so differently, and how economics and public health overlap.Individual choices vs. collective risk – Understand how one person’s actions (or dinner parties) can ripple out and affect the health of an entire society.Lessons for the next pandemic – Troy Tassier gets real about whether we’re doomed to repeat our mistakes and what it will take to avoid another disaster.Why social infrastructure matters – Discover why investing in healthcare access and social safety nets could inoculate us—literally and figuratively—against future crises.Fun Fact: Did you know the most important people to vaccinate during a hospital outbreak might not be doctors or nurses, but receptionists? According to Troy Tassier’s research, receptionists sit at the center of a hospital’s social network—interacting with everyone from patients to food service staff—making them crucial for stopping the spread. Who knew?Troy Tassier, Ph.D., is a professor of economics at Fordham University and the author of The Rich Flee and the Poor Take the Bus: How Our Unequal Society Fails Us during Outbreaks as well as the weekly Substack newsletter, At the Margin.