Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the social sphere and lessons for crisis management: a literature review

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is the most difficult challenge that has affected humanity in recent decades. It has disrupted many features of development with domino effects in the social sphere. This study reviews the literature on the social effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and identifies the affected social areas that have undergone dramatic changes during the pandemic. We use inductive content analysis and thematic analysis to review the literature. The results show that there are seven major areas that have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic: health, social vulnerability, education, social capital, social relationships, social mobility, and social welfare. The literature has reported dramatic psychological and emotional effects, exacerbation of segregation and poverty, disruption in educational systems and formation of an information gap, as well as a declining trends of social capital among communities. We highlight some lessons that can be learned from the pandemic to enhance social resilience in future. Among others, to effectively respond to the pandemic and other potential future adverse events, governments should adopt fair policies, identify the required changes in the socially affected contexts and take necessary responsive actions, and adopt collaboratively designed approaches to increase social resilience.

Editorial: Human capital, management and economics during and after the COVID-19 outbreak

“…A look to the future: some economic, social and managerial challenges for post-pandemic policy and beyond According to Alizadeh et al (2023), some lessons learned from the pandemic can increase social resilience and boost development in the future. Among others, to respond effectively to other possible future adverse events, governments and public-policymakers must adopt fair policies, identify the necessary changes in the economically and socially affected contexts, take the necessary response actions, encourage human and organisational engagement and implement collaborative approaches.…”

“…The resulting crisis has had dramatic impacts on global poverty and inequality. According to Alizadeh et al (2023), the COVID-19 pandemic has been considered the most difficult challenge that has affected humanity in recent decades and the biggest crisis since the Second World War, drastically impacting societies, economies, organisations and governments around the world. It not only halted development but imposed enormous health, economic and environmental, social and governance (ESG) hardships, as well as emotional damage, exacerbated segregation and poverty, disrupted education systems and formed an information gap between people and countries.…”

Solvent Effect on the Structural, Optical, Morphology, and Antimicrobial Activity of Silver Phosphate Microcrystals by Conventional Hydrothermal Method

“…In the past decades, the discussions about the preservation of ecosystems, as also, the effect of climate changes, has led to the important discussion about the future of world population. − In this context, the search for efficient methodologies for monitoring and remediating emerging pollutants, mainly pharmaceuticals, pesticides, hormones, plastic derivatives and textile dyes, has frequently been reinforced by government actions. − These residues exhibits a high contaminating potential that these compounds represent for the quality of water, soil and air, among other, reduction of photosynthetic processes in aqueous media, food contamination, microbiological resistance and the bioaccumulation of their metabolites …”

Pathological buying on the rise? Compensative and compulsive buying in Poland in the pre- and (Post-)pandemic times

“…Certainly, the COVID-19 pandemic should be treated as a very strong unexpected stimulus, even a shock for some people, also in the case of those who did not experience any health problems but only the social consequences resulting from lock-downs, social distancing rules, the need to wear masks, etc. [ 7 ]. The social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic led to negative psychical states such as experienced chronic stress, anxiety feelings or mood disorders inducing compensative and compulsive buying treated by consumers as an escape from the undesired psychical states and problems of everyday life.…”