Psychosocial Impacts and Social Policy Responses to the COVID 19 Pandemic in the Gulf Region
The COVID 19 pandemic has significantly caused profound social implications for the large majority of households, including children, youth, migrant workers, people with disabilities, older adults, women, and people exposed to gender- based violence. The consequences for the labour market and society are unforeseeable in their extent and duration. Welfare state institutions and social policies, which play a central role in ensuring social sec ...
Abstract
The COVID 19 pandemic has significantly caused profound social implications for the large majority of households, including children, youth, migrant workers, people with disabilities, older adults, women, and people exposed to gender- based violence. The consequences for the labour market and society are unforeseeable in their extent and duration. Welfare state institutions and social policies, which play a central role in ensuring social security and stabilising the economy, face major challenges amid the = pandemic in the gulf region. The pandemic presents a unique “test” of the Gulf countries’ various institutional conditions and governance constraints. It presents an opportunity to explore institutional responses and coping mechanisms that might allow policymakers to improve service delivery. The COVID 19 pandemic also presents an opportunity for policymakers to examine which capacity deficits are truly structural and which might be overcome through a combination of technical assistance and political will. The workshop will bring a critical perspective to the social implications amid the pandemic in the region, as well as open lines of inquiry on this development among scholars from across the disciplines.
Description and Rationale
Objectives and Scope
As
the pandemic finds its exponential phase in the gulf region, it is clear that the
pandemic will have profound social implications for the large majority of households,
including children, youth, migrant workers, people with disabilities, older
adults, women, and people exposed to gender- based violence. The consequences
for the labour market and society are unforeseeable in their extent
and
duration. COVID 19 has significantly caused social and psychological impacts by
causing mass hysteria, negative emotions (e.g., anxiety, depression and indignation)
and has generated a plethora of psychiatric manifestations across the different
strata of societies (Dubey et al., 2020). Theories such as behavioral immune
system theory (John et al., 2013), stress theory (Norris et al., 2002) and perceived
risk theory (Slovic, 1987), have indicated that, during health emergencies, people
are likely to develop negative emotions (e.g., aversion, anxiety), negative cognitive
assessments for self- protection, and avoidant behaviors and obey social norms
strictly.
The
success of national governments in combating the pandemic and its economic
and social consequences depends on political factors and national institutions.
Especially welfare state institutions and social policies, which play a central
role in ensuring social security and stabilizing the economy, face major challenges.
The COVID-19 pandemic strongly influences the duties of welfare state organisations
ensuring fast access to welfare payments and offering extensive measures
of job security. The pandemic might also change the goals, the design and
implementation of social and labour market policies. Furthermore, it has consequences
on the public services. While most processes of counselling and assistance
were conducted on a face-to-face basis, the pandemic will result in new ways
of communication and collaboration enforcing a trend to more digitised public services.
The
pandemic presents a unique “test” of the Gulf countries’ various institutional
conditions and governance constraints. It presents an opportunity to explore
institutional responses and coping mechanisms that might allow policymakers
to improve service delivery. It also presents an opportunity for policymakers
to examine which capacity deficits are truly structural and which might
be
overcome through a combination of technical assistance and political will.This
workshop will provide a space for dialogue and discussion on current knowledge
about the social and psychological implications of the pandemic in the gulf
region; discuss state policies that attempt to address the challenges that face societies
in the region, as well as the implications of the pandemic and government responses
to COVID19.
Contribution to Gulf Studies
The
workshop is designed to address several major deficits in knowledge regarding
psychosocial implications of the COVID 19 pandemic in the Gulf countries.The
workshop will contribute to the discourse on social policy responses to the pandemic
and the role played by the welfare institutions amid the pandemic in the
Gulf
region. The workshop also will provide a context in which to understand how the
state and social policies can promote physical health, behavioral adjustment, well-being,
social relationships, safety, cognitive development, and social security in
the Gulf countries. The existing welfare state institutions play a major role
in coping
with the crisis. Protecting jobs and ensuring access to income support for those
losing their jobs seem to be appropriate initial policy responses to deal with the
crisis. The effectiveness and efficiency of social protection will vary across countries
due to differences in the generosity of the welfare state and the specific institutional
setting. Research and data to guide these efforts are lacking in the Gulf region.
The
workshop will bring a critical perspective to the social and psychological implications
amid the pandemic in the region, as well as open lines of inquiry on this development
among scholars from across the disciplines.
List of Expected Papers
The
desired outcome of the workshop is the production of an edited volume:
Towards
that purpose, original contributions are encouraged from diverse disciplines
(e.g., psychology, sociology, economics, political science, education, public
health) and methodologies. The workshop welcomes research from across the
humanities and social sciences— from the perspective of social and political theorists, psychologists, philosophers, cultural theorists, as well as from researchers in
social policy. Theoretical and/or empirical contributions with a comparative
and Gulf
regional perspective are equally encouraged. The workshop welcomes research
from across the humanities and social sciences—from the perspective of
social
and political theorists, philosophers, cultural theorists, as well as from researchers
in social policy. Papers can focus on a single country case or propose cross-country
analyses.
We
encourage articles on these or other relevant topics, addressing but not limited
to the following questions:
- - What
are the social and psychological impacts of the pandemic on households, children, youth, migrant workers, women, vulnerable
groups?
- - How
have Gulf countries responded to the pandemic?
- - What
are the key factors that account for the variety of national responses to the pandemic in the Gulf region?
- - How
does the response to the pandemic affect the plight of social justice and social protection in the region?
- - How
might the pandemic restructure, reshape, or challenge social policies or welfare regimes in the Gulf region?
- - What
gaps in service delivery (especially in education) and institutional capacities have been exposed?
- - What
inequalities are being highlighted by the pandemic and policy responses?
- - What
are the implications of the pandemic on vulnerable populations?
- - How
does the pandemic impact job security or unemployment?
- - What
is the role of social protection in mitigating the impacts of COVID-19?
- - What
will the region look like after the pandemic?
- - What
are the future social implications?
- - What
are the prospects for improved governance and regional solidarity?
- - What
steps should governments take today to ensure that lessons translate into better policies?
Gulf Research Meeting
