International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy: Volume 40 Issue 9/10

The impact of social stratification on morbidity during the COVID-19 pandemic

Nilanjan Raghunath, Tony Tan

Socioeconomic status (SES) has been known to be associated with many aspects of social life such as health. We argue that social stratification remains relevant in understanding…

Organised crime in Western Balkans Six at the onset of coronavirus

Saša Djordjević, Bojan Dobovšek

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the consequences of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) into crime-fighting and present new criminal landscapes in the Western Balkans…

Theorizing the virus: abjection and the COVID-19 pandemic

Larissa Pfaller

Using Kristeva's theory of abjection, this article analyzes the psychosocial reality of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, advancing the understanding of exclusion…

New hope or old futures in disguise? Neoliberalism, the Covid-19 pandemic and the possibility for social change

Daniel Briggs, Anthony Ellis, Anthony Lloyd, Luke Telford

The purpose of this paper is to consider the implications of both the Covid-19 pandemic and UK lockdown for the social, political and economic future of the UK. Drawing on primary…

The mythologisation of key workers: occupational prestige gained, sustained... and lost?

Camilla R. De Camargo, Lilith A. Whiley

Key workers are deemed “essential” for keeping the country going while the rest of us have been resigned to the safety of our homes. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, key workers…

The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the digital transformation of work

Lisa Nagel

This study investigates whether the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an acceleration of the digital transformation in the workplace.

Intra-crisis learning and prospective policy transfer in the COVID-19 pandemic

Martin Powell, Sophie King–Hill

This article brings together the literatures on policy learning and lesson drawing with the intra-crisis learning literature in order to assess “learning lessons” in the COVID-19…

The coronavirus' effects on consumer behavior and supermarket activities: insights from Greece and Sweden

Elena Anastasiadou, Michael Chrissos Anestis, Ioanna Karantza, Sotirios Vlachakis

The purpose of this study is to investigate the changes that have taken place in consumer behavior due to the fear, caused by the spread of the coronavirus, in parallel to…

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on conventional work settings

Randa Diab-Bahman, Abrar Al-Enzi

To give insight into human resource (HR) policy makers of the impact of the abrupt change in working conditions as reported from their primary stakeholders – the employees.

Does Karen wear a mask? The gendering of COVID-19 masking rhetoric

Tavishi Bhasin, Charity Butcher, Elizabeth Gordon, Maia Hallward, Rebecca LeFebvre

This paper asks how values and beliefs around gender influence social norms regarding masking. Specifically, the paper explores how the gendered meme “Karen” fits into social…

Do national cultures matter in the containment of COVID-19?

Cong Cao, Ning Li, Li Liu

This paper empirically investigates how cultural variations in individualism and tightness affected the containment of COVID-19 using data from 54 nations during a 30-day period…

Workfare redux? Pandemic unemployment, labour activation and the lessons of post-crisis welfare reform in Ireland

Michael McGann, Mary P. Murphy, Nuala Whelan

This paper addresses the labour market impacts of Covid-19, the necessity of active labour policy reform in response to this pandemic unemployment crisis and what trajectory this…

The Government of Jamaica (GoJ) COVID-19 pandemic stimulus response: an opportunity to regulate and formalize?

Heather Ricketts

The purpose of the paper is to determine whether the Government of Jamaica's COVID-19 Allocation of Resources for Employees (CARE) Stimulus Response program provides a sufficient…

The effects of COVID-19 on job security and unemployment in Portugal

Fernando Almeida, José Duarte Santos

This short communication aims to explore and synthesize the main effects of COVID-19 on the labor market in Portugal regarding the dimensions related to job security and…

Employment in the informal economy: implications of the COVID-19 pandemic

Aleksandra Webb, Ronald McQuaid, Sigrid Rand

Although the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic appears to disproportionately affect those in informal employment, they often receive less government support than the formally…

A biopsychosocial framework for recovery from COVID-19

Kaz Stuart, Mark A. Faghy, Elaine Bidmead, Ruth Browning, Catriona Roberts, Sam Grimwood, Thea Winn-Reed

This paper proposes a biopsychosocial (BPS) analysis of COVID-19 experiences which enhances understanding of complex and interrelated factors and leads to the proposition of a BPS…

Contextual reflections on COVID-19 and informal workers in Nigeria

Ayokunle Olumuyiwa Omobowale, Olufikayo Kunle Oyelade, Mofeyisara Oluwatoyin Omobowale, Olugbenga Samuel Falase

The index case of COVID-19 in Nigeria was reported on 27 February 2020. Subsequently, the exponential increase in cases has brought about the partial and total lockdown of cities…

Fighting COVID-19: social capital and community mobilisation in Hong Kong

Pui Yan Flora Lau

Focussing on the early phase of the COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong, when the infection rate was relatively low, this paper aims to explore the role of social capital in fighting…

Public acceptability of containment measures during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy: how institutional confidence and specific political support matter

Simona Guglielmi, Giulia M. Dotti Sani, Francesco Molteni, Ferruccio Biolcati, Antonio M. Chiesi, Riccardo Ladini, Marco Maraffi, Andrea Pedrazzani, Cristiano Vezzoni

This article contributes to a better theoretical and empiric understanding of mixed results in the literature investigating the relationship between institutional confidence and…

Providing a foundation for decent work and adequate income during health and economic crises: constitutional approaches in 193 countries

Aleta Sprague, Amy Raub, Jody Heymann

As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spreads globally, the economic and health consequences are disproportionately affecting marginalized workers. However, countries' existing…

From metaphor to militarized response: the social implications of “we are at war with COVID-19” – crisis, disasters, and pandemics yet to come

Connor M. Chapman, DeMond Shondell Miller

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the framing of the emergency response to the novel coronavirus (coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]; severe acute respiratory syndrome-like…

Should children become key stakeholders in designing family-friendly workplaces?

Nataša Krstić, Jelena Sladojević Matić

The purpose is to determine whether there is a gap between what children and youth expect from their parents' workplaces and the family-friendly business practices that employers…

Pandemic and teacher retention: empirical evidence from expat teachers in Southeast Asia during COVID-19

Anh-Duc Hoang

This research aims to explore the influence of expat teachers' attitude about local policies, and their subjective norms of social engagement during COVID-19 over their intention…

Securitization of the COVID-19 pandemic by metaphoric discourse during the state of emergency in Hungary

Anna Molnár, Lili Takács, Éva Jakusné Harnos

Politicians' response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic worldwide relied on war scenarios having a tradition in disease management. The study contrasts how the…

Solidarity and social behaviour: how did this help communities to manage COVID-19 pandemic?

Paul Agu Igwe, Chinedu Ochinanwata, Nonso Ochinanwata, Jonathan Olufemi Adeyeye, Isaac Monday Ikpor, Sanita Ekwutosi Nwakpu, Obiamaka P. Egbo, Ike E. Onyishi, Olusegun Vincent, Kenneth Chukwuma Nwekpa, Kingsley Onuoha Nwakpu, Ayodeji Adeyinka Adeoye, Precious Onyinyechi Odika, Henrietta Fakah, Olaleke Oluseye Ogunnaike, Evelyn Iyose Umemezia

During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic lockdowns, stay at home or work from home, many have argued that the westernised non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) do not provide…

Young adults' personal concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic in Finland: an issue for social concern

Mette Ranta, Gintautas Silinskas, Terhi-Anna Wilska

This study focuses on how young adults face the COVID-19 pandemic by investigating their personal concerns about mental well-being, career/studies and economic situation. The…

Will you shake my hand? Factors of noncompliance with COVID-19 behavioral rules in the framework of enforced social isolation in Russia

Angelina Parfenova

This research paper is devoted to the investigation of reasons for not complying with behavioral rules in the context of epidemiological situation aggravation because of COVID-19…

The changing work landscape as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic: insights from remote workers life situations in South Africa

Walter Matli

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected most organisations' workplaces and productivity. Organisations have had to make provision for staff to operate remotely following the…