TYPE Editorial
PUBLISHED 30September2022 DOI 10.3389/fcomm.2022.1034562
OPENACCESS
EDITEDANDREVIEWEDBY StaceyConnaughton, PurdueUniversity,UnitedStates
*CORRESPONDENCE AndrzejKlimczuk klimczukandrzej@gmail.com
SPECIALTYSECTION
Thisarticlewassubmittedto OrganizationalCommunication, asectionofthejournal FrontiersinCommunication
RECEIVED 01September2022
ACCEPTED 06September2022
PUBLISHED 30September2022
CITATION
KlimczukA,BerdeE,DovieDA, Klimczuk-KochanskaMandSpinelliG (2022)Editorial:Coronavirusdisease (COVID-19):Socio-economicsystems inthepost-pandemicworld:Design thinking,strategicplanning, management,andpublicpolicy. Front.Commun. 7:1034562. doi:10.3389/fcomm.2022.1034562
COPYRIGHT © 2022Klimczuk,Berde,Dovie, Klimczuk-KochanskaandSpinelli.This isanopen-accessarticledistributed underthetermsofthe Creative CommonsAttributionLicense(CCBY) Theuse,distributionorreproduction inotherforumsispermitted,provided theoriginalauthor(s)andthecopyright owner(s)arecreditedandthatthe originalpublicationinthisjournalis cited,inaccordancewithaccepted academicpractice.Nouse,distribution orreproductionispermittedwhich doesnotcomplywiththeseterms.
Editorial:Coronavirusdisease (COVID-19):Socio-economic systemsinthepost-pandemic world:Designthinking,strategic planning,management,and publicpolicy
AndrzejKlimczuk1*,EvaBerde2,DelaliA.Dovie3 , MagdalenaKlimczuk-Kochanska4 andGabriellaSpinelli5
1 DepartmentofPublicPolicy,CollegiumofSocio-Economics,SGHWarsawSchoolofEconomics, Warsaw,Poland, 2 DepartmentofMicroeconomics,DemographyandEconomicsResearchCentre, CorvinusUniversityofBudapest,Budapest,Hungary, 3 CentreforAgeingStudies,Universityof Ghana,Accra,Ghana, 4 FacultyofManagement,UniversityofWarsaw,Warsaw,Poland, 5 Brunel DesignSchool,BrunelUniversityLondon,Uxbridge,UnitedKingdom
KEYWORDS
coronavirusdisease(COVID-19),ecosystems,futureofhealth andhealthcare, internationalsecurity,publichealth,publicpolicy
EditorialontheResearchTopic
Coronavirusdisease(COVID-19):Socio-economicsystemsin thepost-pandemicworld:Designthinking,strategicplanning, management,andpublicpolicy
Overview
ThedeclarationoftheCOVID-19pandemicbytheWorldHealthOrganizationon March11,2020,ledtounprecedentedevents.Allregionsoftheworldparticipatedin implementingpreventivehealthmeasuressuchasphysicaldistancing,travelrestrictions, self-isolation,quarantines,andfacilityclosures.Thepandemicstartedglobaldisruption ofsocio-economicsystems,coveringthepostponementorcancellationofpublicevents, supplyshortages,schoolsanduniversities’closure,evacuationofforeigncitizens,arisein unemploymentandinflation,misinformation,theanti-vaccinemovement,andincidents ofdiscriminationtowardpeopleaffectedbyorsuspectedofhavingcoronavirus disease. Attemptshavebeenmadetoprotecttheoldestagegroupatrisk,butinmany cases,this hasledtoover-restrictionandagediscrimination.
TherationaleforworkingontheResearchTopic“Socio-economic systemsinthepost-pandemicworld:Designthinking,strategicplanning, management,andpublicpolicy”wastheneedtostartreflectingon resilienceandlessonslearnedfromthispublichealtheventthatrevealed theglobalunpreparednessincriticalareas.Also,thepandemictriggered
bothtop-down(e.g.,policytoolstowardlabormarkets) andbottom-up(e.g.,socialandtechnologicalinnovationsin education)responsesthatneededmorein-depthanalyzes.
ThisResearchTopiccoversinterdisciplinarycontributions addressingnewthinking,challenges,andtransformations requiredforpost-pandemicglobal,national,regional,and localrealities.ThepresentedResearchTopiccombinesstudies focusedonrecognizingtheactionsandinterventionsleading totherecoveryofsocio-economicsystemsduringthetailend andafterthepandemic.Thestudiesdeliveredrecommendations regarding,amongothers,thecareofvulnerable,planningsocioeconomicrestart,andimaginingthe“newnormal.”
ThepresentedResearchTopicincludes27articlesprepared by113authorsfromallcontinents.Thissetoftextscontains seventypesofpaperscovering:14originalresearcharticles (BenoandHvorecky; Bhandarietal.; Bjurselletal.; Breitenbach etal.; ElDeeb; Ferchiouetal.; Kieslingeretal.; Liuetal.; Musangoetal.; Poppe; Rasuletal.; Rivera-Rodriguezand Urdinola; Suomietal.; Chenetal.),twoperspectivearticles (LeeandKang; Takewaki),fourreviewarticles(Contrerasetal.; Kumar,Mallaetal.; Singuetal.; HamidandMir),onestudy protocolarticle(Marstonetal.),threeopinionarticles(Lever andSafra; SciacchitanoandBartolazzi; VlachaandFeketea),one conceptualanalysisarticle(AuriemmaandIannaccone),and twobriefresearchreports(Kumar,Kodidelaetal.; Sunetal.).
Theeditorshaveidentifiedsixthemesunderpinningand linkingtogetherthefinallyselectedpapers.Theidentifiedmacro themeshelptodistinguishthemaincontributionfocusandthe areasofapplicationofthepublishedresearch.However,these studiesarealsoatestimonyofthepandemic’simpactoneach andeverysignificantaspectofoursocieties.
ThemeI:Resourcemanagementof healthcaresystemsandpublichealth strategies
Thisthemecoverspapersthatexploretheinterrelationships betweensocio-economicconditions,publichealthstrategies, andthepreparednessofhealthcaresystemsduringthe pandemic.Forexample, Singuetal. explorethelinkbetween populationcharacteristicsandtheemergenceandtransmission ofCOVID-19intheUnitedStates,focusingonsocial determinantsandtheirimpactonhealthoutcomes.Thepaper by Poppe focusesonreconsideringtheefficacyofpublic healthstrategiesusedindevelopedcountriesindifferentsocioeconomicsettings,suchasLatinAmerica,whereinformal andcasualemploymentmaybeprevalent.Thisstudyreveals thatpublichealthpolicieshavevaryingdegreesofadherence, henceefficacy,dependingoncountry-relatedmacroeconomic indicators.Similarly,thepaperby Musangoetal. highlights theimportanceofexistingpopulationcharacteristicsandsocioeconomiccontextswhencalculatingthevaluemoneyofthe
deathtollinMauritius.Thestudyappliesahumancapital approachtodetermineatotaldiscountedmoneyvalueforthe humanliveslostinthecountry.
SeveralpapersinthisResearchTopichavemodeledpossible responsestotheCOVID-19pandemicinthecontextof informeddecision-makingandresourceallocation.Inthe articleby Ferchiouetal.,simulationisusedtofigureout pandemicpreventativemeasuresforvariouspopulationgroups andtransmissionrates.Themodelleadstotheidentification ofseverallockdownstrategiesandrecommendationsfor policymakersregardingbiosecuritycompliancethatmay beachievablebymonitoringgeneralpopulationbehavior. Anothermodelingstudyby Rivera-RodriguezandUrdinola was conductedtosupportpolicymakersindevelopingcountries, suchasColombia,todecidewhatpublichealthtools,e.g., lockdown,shouldbedevelopedbasedontheforeseeableneeds ofintensivecareunitbeds. Bhandarietal. applyhazard modelingtoforecastthedemandforhospitalbedsduringthe pandemic,lookingattheimpactofselectedpopulationvariables. Afinalcontributionthatusedmodeling,particularlytechnical efficiencyanalysis,isby Breitenbachetal. Thisworkaimsto determinetheefficiencyrateincountry-specificresponseto COVID-19.Theanalysiswasundertakenoverasampleof36 countriesrepresenting90%oftheglobalinfectioncasesand consideredpandemic-relatedinfectionanddeathcasesinthe computation.Thedevelopedmodelhighlightedthatdespite allocatingresourcesforhealthcaresystems,theefficiencyis likelytodegradeduetothelackofasystematicapproachin respondingtothecriticalchallengesraisedbythepandemic.
ThemeII:COVID-19andregulatory issues
TheCOVID-19stateofemergencyraisedpressureon regulatoryframeworksworldwideduetotheurgentdemand forthedevelopmentofeffectivepolicytoolsnotonlyrelatedto health(Bentonetal.,2020).Thepaperby LeeandKang shows thattheauthoritiesneededtoaddressthechallengeofmanaging variousformsofregulationsrelatedtoCOVID-19inpeople’s everydaylives.Forexample,SouthKoreahasimplemented streamlinedfast-trackservicesforthebiotechnologyindustry toproducetestkitsswiftly.Thementionedstudyfocuses ontheprecisionregulationapproachthatdeliverstheright regulationmethodsfortherightgroupofpeopleattheright time.Anotheressentialregulationissuethat Sciacchitanoand Bartolazzi underlineistheimportanceoftransparencyin negotiatingCOVID-19vaccineproductionandfinalvaccine price.Transparencycouldhelpavoidmisconceptionsand strengthenthecollaborationbetweenhealthcaresystemsin EuropeanUnioncountries.Transparencyisalsoessentialto avoid“vaccinenationalism,”whichunderminesglobalefforts toensurefairaccesstovaccinesforeveryoneandfacilitates
thedevelopmentofviralmutations.Accordingtothestudy by LeverandSafra,oneofthemostnoticeablereactionsof governmentstoCOVID-19hasbeentoimposelockdownsand restrictionsonfreedomofmovementandassociation.These decisionscanbetemporarymeasurestocontrolormitigate thespreadoftheepidemicwhilewaitingforthevaccineto bedeveloped.However,pharmacologicalsolutionsshouldnot preventconsideringtheendogenousfactorsinthesocieties whichhelpedcatalyzethispandemic.
ThemeIII:Environmentale ects
OneoftheinitialobservationsrelatedtotheCOVID-19 pandemicwasitsimpactontheenvironmentandsustainability management(Barreiro-Genetal.,2020). Kumar,Mallaet al. showthatsocietiesandtheenvironmenthavewitnessed apparentpositiveandnegativeimpactsoflockdowns.Closures offacilitiesandmovementrestrictionsalteredenergydemand patternsandcausedaneconomicdownturn.Suchasituation providedunprecedentedinsightsintothedynamicsofnatural andbuiltenvironmentsthatcanleadtoviableconservation pathsandhelpcreatenewrecoveryenvironmentalpathways. Anotherstudyby ElDeeb presentsthespreadoftheCOVID19infectioninLebanon.Theauthorshowsthatcombining andunderstandingthedisease’sspatial,demographic,and geographicaspectsovertimeallowsforregionallyandlocally adjustedhealthpoliciesandmeasuresthatcouldprovidehigher socialandhealthsafety.Thecontributionfrom Liuetal. aims toanalyzethepotentialspreadofthecoronavirusthrough railtransport.Theauthorsalsopresentrecommendationsfor controllingthespreadofthediseaseinWuhan,China.The studytakesintoaccounttheeffectivenessofcontrolmeasures suchaslockdown,theuseofmasks,sanitization,andsocial distancingforrailwayauthoritiesandpassengers.Inthestudy by Takewaki,“resilience”inarchitectureandengineeringhas beeninvestigatedprimarilyintermsofconventionalnatural disasterrisks.Thepapershowsthatarchitecturaldesigners andengineershaveanimportantmandatetothinkaboutthe functionsofbuildingsandtheirsurroundingsinthedisease spread.Finally, HamidandMir provideacloserlookatthefood andtheagriculturesectorthatwashitbylockdownsandmarket shutdownswhichhaveendangeredthesupplyofagricultural andfooditemsacrosscountryborders.Especiallyfoodsecurity andsupplychainstabilityhasbeenaffectedinemergingandless developedcountries.
ThemeIV:Macrosocio-economic e ects
TheCOVID-19pandemichasalsoimpactedvariousareas ofsocio-economicdevelopmentby,forexample,arisein
economicuncertaintyandchallengestomonetarypolicy,fiscal policy,andtradepolicy(McKibbinandFernando,2021).The paperby Rasuletal. showsthatSouthAsianstateshave encounteredachallengingsituationculminatingfrom,among others,alargepopulation,inadequatehealthfacilities,high povertyrates,lowsocio-economicconditions,andlimited accesstowaterandsanitation.Theneedtocontainthe COVID-19spreadhasledtolockdownswitheffectson economicgrowth,increasingthefiscaldeficit,monetaryburden, andmacroeconomicinstability.Accordingto Auriemmaand Iannaccone,theadoptionoflockdownshasprecipitatedsocioeconomicdevelopmentbygeneratingradicalchangesindaily lifeatthenational,supranational,andinternationallevels. Forexample,inItaly,thesuspensionofcommercialactivities ledtoasearchforsmartemploymentsolutionsbutalsoto thedigitaldivideandnewformsofrelationships.Thestudy by Marstonetal. showsthatusingdigitaltechnologiesisan alternativetomaintainingeconomicandsocialactivitiesduring physicaldistancingadherence.Thepaperdescribeshowthe pandemicimpactedsocialinteractions,includingtheassociation oftheuseofdigitaltechnologieswithpsychologicalwellbeing andlevelsofloneliness.Anothersideoftechnology-related issueshasbeeninvestigatedby Kieslingeretal.,whostudied thelackofmedicalhardwaresuppliesduringtheCOVID-19 pandemic.Thissituationledtomoresignificantinnovationin healthcaresystems,especiallythelocalproductionofCOVID19-complianthealthcareproducts(e.g.,faceshieldsandmedical supplies),withimplicationsforreducingdependencieson internationalsupplychainsandmainstreammassproduction.
ThemeV:Laborand employment-relatedchallenges
TheCOVID-19pandemiccausedashockforthelabor marketsworldwide,includingchangesinworkforcemobility, workreorganization,andapplyingvariouslabormarket policymeasurestodecreasetheriskofmassunemployment (InternationalLabourOrganization,2020).Thecontribution by Sunetal. isbasedonasurveyamongfinancialmanagers beforethecoronavirusdiseasepeakedinChina.Theauthors analyzedthemanagers’copingstrategies,theriskperception directlycausedbyCOVID-19,andtheindirecteffectthatrefers tomanagers’fearthattheywillnotmaketimelyadjustments. Contrerasetal. explainthatcompanieshadtoswitchfrom physicalpresencetoteleworkfromonemomenttothenext. Theexistingknowledgeofteleworkingande-leadershipplayed acrucialroleinthereorganizationprocess.Asaresult,the leadingcompaniesinthisfieldhaveenjoyedaconsiderable advantageinbuildingnewproductionstructuresandreaching advantagesinthemarket. Kumar,Kodidelaetal. writethatthe combinationofdecreasedproductivityandstayingathomeis likelytocompromisewellbeingbycausingstressandanxiety.
However,organizingvirtualsessionstolearnaboutworkers’ motivationandlistentotheirexperimentshelpeddecrease perceivedandCOVID-19-relatedstressscores.Also,thestudy by Suomietal. showedthatthedifferenceinperceptionsofthe employedandunemployedwasattenuatedduringCOVID-19, withbenefittingrecipientsperceivedasmoreemployableand conscientiousthaninthepre-pandemicperiod.Theseresults addtoknowledgeaboutthedeterminantsofwelfarestigma, highlightingtheimpactoftheglobaleconomicandhealth crisisontheperceptionofothers.Finally, BenoandHvorecky surveyedcompaniesshortlybeforetheepidemic.Giventhe situation,theydecidedtorepeatthesurveyduringadifferent phaseofapandemictofindouttheeffectivenessofe-working andthecausesofdecreasedworkproductivity.