About the Book
Social Structure Adaptation to COVID-19 offers global, interdisciplinary perspectives that examine how the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the development trajectory of schools, public health, the workforce, and technology adoption. It explores social themes in society, economy, policy, and culture and draws on a social framework to describe key functions of societal adaptation to the pandemic.
Edited by Suresh Nanwani and William Loxley, the volume is grounded in the study of system components and their objectives to improve overall well-being given the ill effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chapters explore interconnected social networks and how sectors restructured themselves to stabilize or transform society. International contributors from 20 countries offer case studies that highlight key themes including personal connectivity, societal equality, well-being, big data, and national resilience. They predict how impactful the pandemic might be in reshaping the future and assess how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected school system shutdown, public health collapse, business closures, public policy failure, and technology-driven social media acceleration.
Offering insights into how institutions and sectors work together in times of crisis, and how COVID-19 has restructured social behavior, Social Structure Adaptation to COVID-19 will be valuable reading for scholars and students of sociology, political science, anthropology, comparative international development, psychology, and education. It will also be of interest to policymakers concerned with education, work and organizations, and media and technology.
The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 international license.
Table of Contents:
Part I: Introduction 1. Society and COVID-19 2. Identifying international essays about COVID-19 3. Awakening from a paradise lost: Experiences and lessons of the pandemic Part II: Educational opportunity and social mobility 4. Introduction 5. Personal development in a time of crisis 6. Tails we go, heads we stay 7. Adapting to virtual education during the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru 8. The plight of virtual education in India due to COVID-19 9. COVID-19 and tertiary education: Experiences in Lesotho institutions 10. Lifelong learning as a powerful force in the post-pandemic world Part III: Public policy and risk management 11. Introduction 12. New Zealand: Global connectivity and digital diplomacy 13. Brazil in crisis mode: Institutions in times of uncertainty 14. Legal practice in Kenya: Embracing automation and e-judiciary 15. The pandemic and post-pandemic aftershocks: Whither legal education? 16. Change and continuity: COVID-19 and the Philippine legal system 17. Digital technology: A best friend for implementing COVID-19 policy in China 18. The goldfish and the net(work) Part IV: Diversity in workforce behavior 19. Introduction 20. Entering the workforce in the COVID-19 era 21. How a Gen Y became a Gen Z at heart 22. Unlocking from lockdown: Reframing the future through appreciative dialogue 23. COVID-19 and moving to the new normal 24. Financial literacy: Its relevance in the education curriculum 25. Self-coaching for pandemic survivors Part V: Technology and culture 26. Introduction 27. Will technology replace or recreate humans? 28. Privacy issues in online education technologies in China 29. Digital technology during COVID-19 in global living educational theory research 30. I’m gonna let it shine: Local musicians in the Virginia countryside during the pandemic 31. Emotional and physical isolation in a Latino community 32. Braving COVID-19 through the Gross National Happiness way in Bhutan 33. A resurrection: Human connections and beyond Part VI: Conclusion 34. Social structure adaptability to the pandemic
About the Author :
Suresh Nanwani is Professor in Practice in the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University, the United Kingdom. He has more than 35 years of development work experience in international organizations, including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. He is a certified mediator with the Center for Effective Dispute Resolution, the United Kingdom, and an associate certified coach with the International Coaching Federation. He is the author of Organization and Education Development: Reflecting and Transforming in a Self-Discovery Journey (Routledge, 2021).
William Loxley is a former principal education specialist at the Asian Development Bank and executive director of the International Association for the Evaluation of Academic Achievement (IEA) headquartered in the Netherlands. He is now retired and living in the Philippines, and he maintains an advisory role in education at the above institutions. He also previously worked at the World Bank, the Ford Foundation, the Fulbright Program in Vietnam, and the Peace Corps in the Philippines.
Review :
“The COVID-19 pandemic left its scar on the very core of humanity. The experiences, challenges, implications, and lessons impacted the world during the pandemic. The ways in which the social structures of our societies adapted and continue to change deserve further study from the multidisciplinary writers across diverse regions. This book fills an important gap in documenting the impact of the pandemic on humanity. The book’s essays chronicle cross-cultural accounts about the diversity of life experience. This book is highly recommended.”
Olabisi D. Akinkugbe, Viscount Bennett Professor of Law, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, Canada
“This book highlights several singularities that this 'black swan' event has revealed as a consequence of its stress on humanity:
Complex thinking is needed to tackle the entanglement of cause and effect within domains of knowledge to educate people about the pandemic to prevent magical thinking from taking over.
Public health science is not the holy grail for managing a health crisis: There is an urgent need to walk the talk of collaborative ways to implement public policy.
The post COVID-19 era must be defined by a new shared model of governance, which is bottom-up and respectful of the rights of people and communities.
Whoever reads this book will be better prepared to understand the next pandemic and contribute to its resolution as a global citizen.”
Jean-Jacques Bernatas, General practitioner, public health expert, and founder of Human Touch for Health, France
“In this fascinating survey of Covid’s worldwide impacts, Nanwani and Loxley detail how all sectors of societies worked hard to adapt to this medical emergency. They show how virtual replaced in-person communication in workplaces, courtrooms and schools, and how medical facilities and responders were affected. With examples from various countries including India, Peru, Kenya, New Zealand, Philippines, and the United States, this book provides a uniquely valuable compendium of what occurred.”
Paul Hirsch, Professor of Management and Organization, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, USA
“As we venture into this post-pandemic era, there is a great deal to be learned about how societies created ways of putting aside their differences to deal with the global crisis cooperatively. Social Structure Adaptation to COVID-19: Impact on Humanity offers insights into how nations found ways of working together to provide economic resources and develop cultural insights. The book is well worth reading and returning to many times. It provides a rich source of information for those wishing to learn from the past on how to address problems of common concern in the future.”
Marie Huxtable, Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Cumbria, UK, and Editor of the Educational Journal of Living Theories
“This thoughtfully edited volume offers key insights into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on societies and individuals across the world, delving into diverse areas such as work, learning, and innovations in social media. The essays capture the extraordinary responses that emerged in the face of what the editors believe could be an outlier or a “black swan” event. The book’s strength lies in its diverse range of perspectives from contributors with global expertise. Using a systems analysis approach to mapping societal changes is what sets apart Social Structure Adaptation to COVID-19 from other books. Its comprehensive approach to understanding the pandemic’s impact on society, from reflections on governance and institutions to individuals and their transformative life experiences, is worth reading.”
Eva-Maria Nag, Senior Executive Editor of Global Policy Journal and Co-Director of the Global Policy Institute, School of Government and International Affairs, Durham University, UK
“This book not only expands the reader’s understanding of life and work during the pandemic but also serves as a cleansing and therapeutic salve to those battered by the lockdowns and other pandemic-related restrictions and challenges.”
Colin B. Picker, Professor of Law and Executive Dean, Faculty of Business and Law, University of Wollongong, Australia, and Co-Founder of the Society of International Economic Law
“With COVID-19 we lived through one of the most extensive societal disruptions ever. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of how our social systems responded. It is a treasure box of insights about the adaptation of society to humanity.”
Robert E. Quinn, Professor Emeritus of Management and Organizations, Ross School of Business University of Michigan, USA
“Social Structure Adaptation to COVID-19: Impact on Humanity is a timely exploration of the far-reaching effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our global society. This thought-provoking book brings together a diverse group of 27 essayists who provide unique perspectives on how social systems have adapted and responded to COVID-19. The book offers valuable insights into societies’ resilience and transformative power through its comprehensive analysis of key areas such as hybrid work, virtual learning, big data, and mass communication. A must-read for scholars, policymakers, and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the pandemic’s impact on our social structures.”
Swaroop Sampat Rawal, Visiting faculty, Sardar Patel University, India, and Academic Council Member, Rishihood University, India
“This book exposes the COVID-19 experience felt around the world from 2020 to 2023. COVID-19 impacted the way societies survived the pandemic, taking into account four fundamental aspects: social relations; government capacity to respond; labor force and economy; and culture. It is clear to me that the pandemic placed us in a trial-and-error, leaving with us the lesson that we must be agile and flexible when facing change. This book serves as a reflection point for society to make better decisions and take actions when meeting future crises.”
Grace Ximena Villanueva-Paredes, Professor in the Faculty of Economic-Administrative Sciences, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Peru
“Social Structure Adaptation to COVID-19: Impact on Humanity is perhaps the most comprehensive book I can imagine that compiles many individual experiences and reflections from different corners of the world during the pandemic. The essayists, from different walks of life and ages, bring with them unique perspectives in sharing personal views about the pandemic, ranging from uncertainty, solitude, global citizenship, individual liberty versus collective responsibility, to the role and accountability of public institutions. This book is worth reading by anyone who wishes to know more about the societal and transformative impacts of the pandemic on everyone in the world.”
Nurina Widagdo, International development practitioner, based in Indonesia, with experience working with the United Nations and major government and nongovernment organizations
“Suresh Nanwani and William Loxley provide a multidisciplinary effort by various contributors on how COVID-19 affected societal functions, and how the resulting challenges and changes will make society more complex. This book is a delightful guide of useful and important information for those of us who want to know the sociological influences of the pandemic.”
Jiejin Zhu, Professor of International Studies, School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University, China
