Comparative Studies on Pandemic Control Policies and the Resilience of Society

Foreword by Adrian Bailey
Foreword by John Corbett
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Contents
Editors and Contributors
Public Health and Social Economic Studies out of the Pandemic
Comparison of COVID-19 Control Policies and Public Health Regimes: The Institutionalism Perspective
1 Introduction
2 The Major and Distinct Measures Adopted by Major Countries and Region
2.1 Mainland China
2.2 Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China
2.3 Japan
2.4 United Kingdom
2.5 Singapore
2.6 Denmark
3 Comparison of Measures of COVID-19 Control Policies Among the Six Selected Countries and Region
3.1 “Dynamic Zero-Clearing” Policy
3.2 “Living with COVID” Policy
3.3 Mitigation Policies
4 Discussion and Considerations in the Choice of COVID Control Policies
4.1 Will the Public Health and Welfare Ideologies and Regime Affect the Choice of COVID Control Policies?
4.2 Economic Considerations and Governance
4.3 Reflection of the COVID Control Policies from the Perspective of the Institutional Theories
5 Conclusion
References
Between Zero COVID and “Live with COVID:” Comparative Studies in Pandemic Control Policies of China, Singapore, and Hong Kong at the Stage of Omicron
1 Introduction
2 Analytical Results
2.1 What’s Behind the Effectiveness of China’s Zero COVID Strategy in the First Two Years of the Pandemic?
2.2 What Has Singapore Done Right About Switching from Zero COVID to Live with COVID?
2.3 What Does Hong Kong Do Wrong About COVID?
3 Further Discussions
4 Epilogue
References
Economic Considerations Behind the COVID-19 Pandemic Control Policies
1 Introduction
2 Economic Determinants behind Countries’ Selection of Pandemic Control Policies
2.1 The Economic Consideration behind China’s Insistence on Zero COVID Strategy in the First Two Years of the Pandemic
2.2 The Economic Rationale behind Australia’s Nation-Wide Lockdowns in 2020 and 2021
2.3 Singapore’s Quick Switch from Zero COVID Strategy to Live with COVID in 2021
3 Economic (Re)considerations in the Era of Omicron
3.1 Economic Decline following China’s Lockdowns in 2022
3.2 Closure versus Opening? Two Paths in Two Americas
3.3 China’s Pandemic Control Measures Adjustment: In View of Dire Economy?
4 Conclusion
5 Limitations of the Research
References
Social Resilience and COVID-19 Recovery: Evidence from 107 Countries
1 Introduction
2 Literature Review
2.1 Concept of Social Resilience
2.2 Measuring Social Resilience under COVID Background: Selection of Indicators and Frameworks
3 Theoretical Framework
3.1 Analytical Framework
4 Methodology
4.1 Resilience Measurement and Calibrations
4.2 Influencing Factors and Calibration
5 Overall Results
6 Conclusion and Discussion
Appendix 1 Contributing Factors and Sources of Data
References
“Surprisingly Real”: Regressive Structural Transformations in the Wake of the Corona Crisis
1 A Functionally Differentiated World
2 Frequency Reduction or: Too Bad for the Facts
3 Crises or: The Superproblem of Inacceptable System Overruns
4 Epoch Overlap
5 Social Cohesionism
References
International Relations in the Post-Pandemic World: Globalization, Global Governance and Leadership
How the Pandemic Affects Global Leadership: A Comparative Analysis of the G2 (United States and China)
1 Introduction
2 The G2: Is a New Designation for Global Leadership?
3 The Kindleberger Trap and Global Leadership in the Age of Power Transition
4 Evaluation of the Material Capabilities of the G2 During the Pandemic
5 G2’s Policies on Global Public Goods
6 G2’s Contributions to Global Public Goods During the Pandemic
7 Conclusion
References
Political Considerations and Rationales for Different Control Policies in COVID-19 Pandemic: An Analysis from the State Theory Perspective
1 Introduction
2 The Theories of State
3 Zero COVID Strategy and Neo-Weberian Approach
3.1 Case Study: China
4 “Live with COVID” and Liberal Approach
4.1 Case Study: The United Kingdom
5 Conclusion
References
COVID-19 Pandemic as the Cosmopolitan Moment of World Risk Society
1 Introduction: COVID-19 Pandemic and a New Beginning of the 21st Century
2 Global Reflexivity: Deglobalisation as Descriptive and Reflexive Response to Deep Globalisation
3 Global Risks and the Rise of “World Risk Society”
4 COVID-19 Pandemic as the “Cosmopolitan Moment” of World Risk Society
5 Conclusion: The Pessimistic Optimism of World Risk Society
References
Politicization of Anti-Pandemic Measures in Europe: Cleavage Politics and Divided Publics
1 Introduction
2 Politicization and the Cleavage Theory
3 Data and Methodology
4 Findings
4.1 Political Party Positioning
4.2 Public Opinion
4.3 National Perspectives
5 Conclusion
Appendix 1 Association Between Cleavage Variables With the Attitude to Coronavirus Measures (qa19): A Country-by-Country Perspective
References
Understanding Sweden’s COVID-19 Pandemic on Chinese Social Media: Public Perceptions Comparison Between Chinese Residing in Sweden and China
1 Introduction
2 Literature Review
2.1 Contextualizing Sweden’s Strategy in the Global Pandemic Narrative
2.2 The Interaction Between Social Media and Pandemic
2.3 Chinese Social Media Use in the Pandemic Context
2.4 Social Media in the Context of Chinese Im/Migrants During the Pandemic
3 Methodology
4 Analysis
4.1 Sweden’s Pandemic: Thematic Analysis
4.2 Positioning Social Media Use Within Sweden’s Pandemic Context
4.3 Constructing the Understanding of Sweden’s Pandemic
4.4 Constructing Sweden’s National Image
5 Discussion and Conclusion
Appendix I: Demographic Information About the Interviewees
Appendix II: Interview Guide for Chinese in China
Social Media
Sweden’s Pandemic
Sweden’s National Image
Appendix III: Interview Guide for Chinese in Sweden
Social Media
Sweden’s Pandemic
Sweden’s National Image
References
Sino–US Great Game Out of the Pandemic: A Conspiracy Theories Perspective
1 Introduction
2 “China’s Chernobyl?”: An Old-fashioned Narrative against Communist Countries
3 “God’s Gift to the Left”: How the United States Leftists Mobilized the Pandemic Narrative to Topple down the Trump Presidency and its Consequences
4 “Our State is Playing a Big Chess Game”: How China’s Nationalists Interpreted a Power Crunch When China Had the Upper Hand
5 Conclusion
References
Cultural and Social Media Responses: Perceptions, Emotions, and Narratives
Body Politics and the Collective Well-Being: A Comparative Study of the Cultural Motives of Mask Wearing During COVID-19
1 Introduction
2 Risk as Collective Construct
3 Research Methodology
4 Medical Masks as Scientific Knowledge and Social Policy
5 The Healthy Body Vs. The Sick One: Mask Wearing as Protection or Concealment
6 The Solidary Society Vs. The Free One: Mask Wearing as Compliance or Confinement
7 Conclusion
References
Exploring How Social Media Influences COVID-19 Vaccination Intention in China: The Mediating Effect of Perceived Risk, Negative Emotion, and Subjective Norms
1 Introduction
2 Literature Review
2.1 Social Media Use and COVID-19 Vaccination Intention
2.2 Perceived Risk of Vaccination
2.3 Negative Emotion
2.4 Subjective Norms
3 Method
3.1 Data
3.2 Measurement
4 Result
5 Discussion
References
Media Discourses and China’s Social Mobilization at the Early Crisis Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic
1 Introduction
2 The Militant Discourse: “We Are at War with COVID”
3 The Altruistic Discourse: Praising Selfless and Sacrificial Behaviors
4 The Authoritative Discourse: The Staging of an Anti-pandemic Icon
5 Social Media as the Emerging Space for Negotiating Social Participation
6 Conclusion
References
Netizen Sentiments and Demands in the Context of Normalized Epidemic Prevention and Control: A Comparative Study of Three Provincial Capitals in China
1 Introduction
2 Review of the Literature
2.1 Level of Economic Development, Population Mindset, and the Pandemic
2.2 Economic Levels and People’s Demands During the Pandemic
3 Data Sampling and Processing
3.1 Sampling
3.2 Data Sampling Methods
3.3 Building the Coding Table
3.4 Reliability Test
4 Presentation of Results and Discussion of Data
4.1 Macro and Micro Presentations of Internet Users’ Emotions in Different Cities
4.2 Macro and Micro Representations of the Demands of Internet Users in Different Cities
4.3 The Relationship Between Internet Users’ Main Demands and Their Emotions
5 Conclusion
Appendix
References
COVID-19 and the Chinese Outbreak Narrative: Representations of Heroes, Victims and Minor Characters in Chinese Epidemic Films
1 Chinese Epidemic Films: A Brief Descriptive Overview
1.1 Cinematic Representations Based on Real Epidemics
1.2 Temporal Distribution
1.3 Dominance of Documentaries
1.4 Diversified Themes
2 Responses of Different Characters in Dealing with Epidemics
2.1 Two Sets of Saviours: Governmental and Non-governmental Heroes
2.2 Heroic Citizens: Doctors and Soldiers
2.3 The Saved: The Weak and the Underprivileged
2.4 ‘Minor Characters’: Care, Cooperation and Recognition
3 What Is Under-Represented/Missing?
3.1 Chaos and Helplessness
3.2 Representation of Media
4 Conclusion
Appendix
References
Conclusion