The role of culture on 2020 SARS-CoV-2 Country deaths: a pandemic management based on cultural dimensions

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the role of cross-cultural country differences during a global pandemic. Based on country cultural dimensions and country economic indicators, the research proposes specific policies that might prove of value in order to manage and better respond to present and future critical events such as the 2020 SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. The methodology is based on multivariate analysis for the first set of countries and crosscountry comparative analysis for the second set of countries. Research results reveal the critical role of the cultural dimensions individualism, power distance, masculinity, long-term orientation and indulgence, along with the country economic context in the magnitude of the consequences of a global pandemic within a country specific context. Based on these results, the study proposes policies adjusted to the countries specific cultural and economic frameworks in order to promote the most effective and efficient management of a critical event such as a global pandemic. Keywords Cross-cultural management Á Cultural dimensions Á Global pandemic Á SARS-CoV-2 Á Policies 123

Culture Related Factors May Shape Coping During Pandemics

“….the rich complex of meanings, beliefs, practices, symbols, norms, and values prevalent among people in a society." Studies show that during collective crises people tend to apply behaviors that are within the realms of familiar and already available collective options (Ibanez and Sisodia, 2020;Roy, 2020).…”

“…Evidence suggests that countries, as cultural units ( Schwartz, 2006 ), are distinguished from one another by their residents’ ways of reacting and coping, with certain cultural features acting as moderating factors to the variability in the adaptiveness of response ( Guan et al, 2020 ). Schwartz (2006 , p.138) defines culture as “…the rich complex of meanings, beliefs, practices, symbols, norms, and values prevalent among people in a society.” Studies show that during collective crises people tend to apply behaviors that are within the realms of familiar and already available collective options ( Ibanez and Sisodia, 2020 ; Roy, 2020 ).…”

Machine Learning–Based Prediction of Growth in Confirmed COVID-19 Infection Cases in 114 Countries Using Metrics of Nonpharmaceutical Interventions and Cultural Dimensions: Model Development and Validation

“…In this paper, we include the implementation of NPIs at the national level as features (ie, independent variables) in predicting the national growth of the number of confirmed infection cases. Based on recent studies that identify cultural dimensions as having influence in the effectiveness of NPIs [ 17 - 19 ], we also incorporate cultural dimensions as features. Prior work has focused on NPI variations in different regions of specific countries [ 2 , 5 , 6 , 20 , 21 ].…”

“…Recent research has also linked the effect of cultural dimensions in responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies suggest that cultural dimensions may affect individual and collective behavior [ 53 - 57 ] and the effectiveness of NPIs [ 17 - 19 ], and that cultural dimensions should be considered when implementing NPIs [ 17 ]. Although these studies identify the importance of cultural dimensions in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, to our knowledge, this work is the first to complement cultural dimensions with NPIs to forecast future COVID-19 infection growth.…”

“…We recognize that various cultural dimension models exist, such as the six Hofstede cultural dimensions [ 58 ], Global Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness (GLOBE) [ 59 ], and the Cultural Value Scale (CVSCALE) [ 60 ], and that each model has their advocates and criticisms [ 61 ]. In this work, we selected the 2015 edition of the Hofstede model [ 62 ] due to the relevance of its cultural dimensions in the mentioned studies [ 17 - 19 , 55 - 57 ].…”