Humanistic Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Informal Sector in Zimbabwe

Antecedent evidence suggests that Zimbabwe's informal sector employs 95% of economically active adults. The informal sector closed operations due to COVID 19 lockdowns resulting in loss of income, unemployment and low standard of living. The informal sector lacks a model to use during natural disasters like COVID-19 pandemic. The chapter analyses the humanistic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the informal sector in Zimbabwe. The study used the collective five finger theory as a lens to view the phenomena. The researcher adopts a post-positivism paradigm that advocates a mixed-method approach. The chapter uses a descriptive research design to interview officials from the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprise and Local Authorities and collect quantitative data from 200 informal traders in Gweru. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse quantitative data and thematic analyses for qualitative data. The results revealed that relaxed sector workers' standard of living declined due to business revenue falling. The study recommends adopting the proposed intervention strategies based on the Humanistic-Pandemic-Approach in the Informal sector guided by Ubuntu philosophy. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.

Economic Justice in Post-COVID India: A Macroeconomic Perspective

The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown wreaked havoc on substantial segments of the Indian population through unemployment and income loss, only highlighting the lack of institutional structures and policies to protect vulnerable sections of society from aggregate as well as idiosyncratic shocks. This chapter argues that the variations in the capacity to better one's life are conditional on socio-economic divisions a person belongs to and this makes such divisions fault lines. They constitute structural weaknesses in the economy leaving out millions of people without the capability to participate in the economy meaningfully and remuneratively. The author provides evidence of disproportionate impact of the pandemic along these fault lines and provides a policy framework for economic justice and prosperity to all in the post-COVID economy. He also highlights the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to policy-making given the complex nature of the problem. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023.

PALLIATIVE CARE AND COVID-19 PANDEMIC BETWEEN HOSPITAL-CENTRIC BASED APPROACH AND DECENTRALISATION OF HEALTH SERVICES: A VALUABLE OPPORTUNITY TO TURN THE CORNER?

Italy was the first Western EU country to have dealt with the severe effects of the widespread Covid-19 virus since the pandemic began. Many healthcare services were negatively affected, and the delivery of palliative care has been no exception. The Italian healthcare system has suffered more than others due to public spending cuts. The hospital-based approach has not allowed all patients to receive appropriate care. This situation was brought about not only by the pandemic emergency but mainly by pre-existing shortages due to the cut in financial resources before the Covid-19 pandemic. For countries similar to Italy, it is necessary to develop territorialised health care, decongestion hospitals, and strengthen the Third Sector, particularly the voluntary sector. © EuroMediterranean Biomedical Journal 2023.

Modelling COVID-19 effect on the performance of MENA Health-care sector

PurposeThis study models the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the performance of the private health-care sector in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries. This paper aims to address the economic, societal and sustainability of the health-care sector.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from Bloomberg and the sample consists of 534 firm-year observations from 55 firms listed over 2010–2020. The authors apply panel data and control for the country and governance effects.FindingsThe authors found heterogeneous results regarding the three sub-sectors. The pandemic has a negative effect on the accounting and market performances of the "Pharmaceutical companies” and an insignificant impact on "Healthcare Management and Facilities Services.” Moreover, the impact of COVID-19 on health-care firms' performance depends on the country's economic classification and the degree of regulatory and governance frameworks.Research limitations/implicationsFurther studies may consider a larger sample and other regions. It is recommended to address the health-care sector's challenges to invest in new technologies such as "digital twin” and predictive and personalized medicine. It is worth testing model development theory and its effects on speeding up and designing models to ensure the proper functioning and developing mathematics to determine uncertainties in patient data and model predictions.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper is novel as it is unique in modeling the impact of COVID-19 on the health-care public companies in the MENA region. The findings pinpoint firms' and countries' heterogeneous impacts on financial and market performances.

Teaching Crisis Management before and after the Pandemic: Personal Reflections

This reflective contribution tells the story of a veteran public sector crisis management (CM) researcher's 35-year journey with educating students and CM practitioners. It offers preliminary insights about how the pandemic experience might -- and should -- induce a significant rethink of how educators conceptualize the nature of crises and the challenges governments and public agencies face in coping with them.

Transforming India's Agrarian Society in a Post-COVID World: Prospects and Challenges

The need for change in India's agrarian sector came into sharp focus with the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper traces the imperatives that have shaped the trajectory of the development of the rural economy in post-independence India including the social, cultural and political matrix within which the processes and activities of the rural economy are carried out. It also explores the possibilities of social, cultural and political change based on a perspective that seeks to reconcile the imperatives of unity and social justice with a practical reading of the ground reality in India's villages. The paper suggests reform in social, cultural and political structures and practices at the village level along with economic prescriptions such as increasing the marketability of agricultural produce and creating jobs in the manufacturing sector to absorb workers displaced from the agricultural sector. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023.

Impact of e-Learning in Education Sector: A Sentiment Analysis View

The COVID-19 condition had a substantial impact on the education sector, corporate sector and even the life of individual. With this pandemic situation e-learning/distance learning has become certain in the education sector. In spite of being beneficial to students and teachers, its efficacy in the education domain depends on several factors such as handiness of ICT devices in various socio economic groups of people and accessible internet facility. To analyze the effectiveness of this new system of e learning Sentiment Analysis plays a predominant role in identifying the user's perception. This paper focus on identifying opinions of social media users i.e. Twitter on the most prevailing issue of online learning. To analyze the subjectivity and polarity of the dynamic tweets extracted from Twitter the proposed study adopts TextBlob. As Machine Learning (ML) models and techniques manifests superior accuracy and efficacy in opinion classification, the proposed solution uses, TF-IDF (Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency) as feature extraction technique to build and evaluate the model. This manuscript analyses the performance of Multinomial Naive Bayes Classifier, DecisionTreeClassifier, SVC and MLP Classifier with respect to performance measure as Accuracy. © 2022 IEEE.

Role of the Digital for the Third Sector in the Campania Region (Italy): From the Side of Research to the Side of the Objects in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic

This paper aims to investigate the role of the digital in facing the social and practical impact of COVID-19 pandemic on particularly fragile and affected realities, Third Sector Organizations (TSO), in a context pervaded by structural and socio-economic weaknesses, the Campania Region in the South of Italy. It analyzes the digital object as: 1. a process - digitization/digitalization and digital transformation;2. a scenario - in which identities, activities and alternative spaces of use or data collection transit and are constructed;3. skills and capabilities - as social capital and value. This re-framing work is intended to be a useful tool for reflecting on the role of digital in research processes, while also offering a contribution in the debate on the Third Sector in contexts of crisis, such as the one generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, that impacts its existence, activity, shape, and perspectives. © This is an open access, peer reviewed article published under the Creative Commons License (CC BY 3.0).

The Relationship of SEDS, Food Intake and Work Engagement among Telecommuting Employees of the Education Sector during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Method Study

Due to COVID-19, the shift to telecommuting became a widely used work set-up to maintain economic balance. This work set up is associated with risks to employees' wellness. As prevention to the risks, employees must be provided with ways to understand the telecommuting attributes. In relation, this study targets in understanding the links between the socio-economic demographic status, work engagement, and food intake of the education sector's tele-employees. The 110 samples are gathered from the Senior High school Department using convenience sampling, an online survey, and the mixed method. ANOVA and multi-linear regression are used as statistical treatments. The study found that the older generation with higher Income is more likely linked with higher work engagement. The younger generation, low-income earners, and males are inclined more toward unhealthy foods as compared to their counterparts. Low-income earners perceived that their work engagement falls under the category that energy to work is at a bare minimum level. The participants' education attainment revealed significance with energy-giving or carbohydrate-source foods. The qualitative data highlighted job position was perceived with a link to food intake and work engagement. Unhealthy food consumption is perceived with a beneficial association with work engagement, although it is suggested for further investigation. With these findings, the education sector's stakeholders, nutrition, mental health professionals, and future researchers would mainly benefit from this study for intervention generation. © 2023 ACM.

Introduction

The twenty-first century has brought in massive changes in the labour processes, employment relations and erosion of labour standards in all sectors—manufacturing, agriculture and service—of the world economy. COVID19 pandemic has brought centre-stage the feminist discourse on paid and unpaid work, visible and invisiblised work, officially recognised and officially bypassed/ignored work as well as women's contribution of care economy for the survival of humankind. At this juncture, this edited volume acquires a great significance as it not only connects the missing dots in the gendered labour markets but also makes a convincing case for an urgent need for fiscal expansion to ensure food and health security, protection of livelihoods and investment in human development in this unequal world. The book is divided into three parts: (1) macroeconomy and women's work, (2) women in the urban economy and regional diversity and (3) women in agriculture and allied occupations. © 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

How does digital transformation impact bank performance?

Digital transformation is a keyword that has not only been mentioned in recent years but is also strongly applied by companies. However, the benefits of digital transformation for companies are still an issue that needs to be researched. Therefore, this study is conducted to determine the dynamics of digital transformation on banking business results. The research was conducted with joint stock commercial banks in Vietnam listed on the stock exchange. Based on text analysis on annual reports to measure banks' digital transformation level from 2015 to 2021. Research results have shown that digital transformation has a negative impact on bank's performance (through the return on assets and return on equity). Furthermore, the study also found that there was a paradoxical situation where COVID-19 increased the profits of banks. This result provides exciting discussions related to digital transformation and bank performance.

Can Chinese banks expand their loan portfolio while maintaining loan quality and profitability post-global financial crisis?

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the relationships between loan growth, loan losses and net income after the 2008 global financial crisis. This study further conducts a comparative analysis by considering the period of COVID-19. Design/methodology/approachThis study uses panel data models such as one-step system GMM, random effects, fixed effects and OLS, with a data set of 131 Chinese commercial banks from 2009 to 2020. FindingsThe study finds no significant relationship between loan growth and future loan losses. However, after adjusting loan loss by net interest income (NII-adjusted loan loss), the study reveals that loan growth in the subsequent year decreases if NII-adjusted loan loss increases. The study also demonstrates the positive effect of loan growth on net income as newly expanded loans are funded at similar costs but offered at a lower rate compared with existing loans. During COVID-19, loan growth and net income were higher than in previous years. Originality/valueThe findings suggest that Chinese banks can increase lending to support the economy without sacrificing loan quality, emphasizing the importance of maintaining and enhancing credit policies and practices. Chinese banks should also continue to refine their pricing strategies for loans and deposits. The findings also imply that China's policy responses to the impact of COVID-19 could serve as lessons for future policy decisions.

Optimizing Medical Healthcare Services Using Big Data Analytics

Big data is a very large size of datasets which come from many different sources and are in a wide variety of forms. Due to its enormous potential, big data has gained popularity in recent years. Big data enables us to investigate and reinvent numerous fields, including the healthcare industry, education, and others. Big data specifically in the healthcare sector comes from a variety of sources, including patient medical information, hospital records, findings from physical exams, and the outcomes of medical devices. Covid19 recently, one of the most neglected areas to concentrate on has come under scrutiny due to the pandemic: healthcare management. Patient duration of stay in a hospital is one crucial statistic to monitor and forecast if one wishes to increase the effectiveness of healthcare management in a hospital, even if there are many use cases for data science in healthcare management. At the time of admission, this metric aids hospitals in identifying patients who are at high Length of Stay namely LS risk (patients who will stay longer). Once identified, patients at high risk for LS can have their treatment plans improved to reduce LS and reduce the risk of infection in staff or visitors. Additionally, prior awareness of LS might help with planning logistics like room and bed allotment. The aim of the suggested system is to precisely anticipate the length of stay for each patient on an individual basis so that hospitals can use this knowledge for better functioning and resource allocation using data analytics. This would contribute to improving treatments and services. © 2023 IEEE.

FACTORS PRECEIVED TO INFLUENCE THE PERFORMANCE OF PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYEES WITH MEDIATING EFFECT OF EMPLOYEES SATISFACTION, A CASE STUDY OF CIVIL DEFENCE DIRECTORATE

In developing countries like Pakistan, mostly the public sector departments give not as much of focus on the performance / capacity building as well as the satisfaction of the employees, the research was conducted to know the influence of the factors perceived on the performance of public sector employees by increasing satisfaction and for this purpose the Civil Defence Department was selected. The study was conducted on the mixed method approach in which both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were adopted to know the responses of the employees of the Civil Defence Department regarding research objectives. Questionnaires, both in open ended and close ended format were distributed among 100 employees of the Civil Defence Department as per the availability of the skeleton staff during COVID-19. The hypotheses were equipped to recognize the significance relationship of variables as well as statistical analysis was applied through SPSS to examine the acceptance or rejection of the hypothesis. Hence, the result instigated that factors perceived in this study have significance influenced on the performance and satisfaction of the public sector employees.

After the Virus: Disaster Capitalism, Digital Inequity, and Transformative Education for the Future of Schooling

The 2020 COVID-19 disaster triggered an educational crisis in the United States, deeply exacerbating the inequities present in education as schools went online. This primary impact may not be the only one, however: literature describes a secondary impact of such disasters through "disaster capitalism," in which the private sector captures the public resources of disaster-struck communities for profit. In response to these warnings, we ask how schools, families, and communities can counteract disaster capitalism for educational equity. To address this question, we first synthesize a critical framework for analyzing digital inequity in education. We then dissect the strategies disaster capitalism uses to attack the school-family-community relationship and exacerbate digital inequity in "normal" times as well as during crises. Employing the notion of community funds of knowledge, we next examine the resources schools, families, and communities can mobilize against disaster capitalism and digital inequity. Finally, guided by the concepts of generative change and transformative learning, we consider actionable practices of countering disaster capitalism for a transformative education. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Education & Urban Society is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Is irrigation fit for purpose? A review of the relationships between scheme size and performance of irrigation systems

Irrigation is increasingly being called upon to help stabilize and grow food and water security in the face of multiple crises;these crises include climate change, but also recent global food and energy price crises, including the 2007/08 food and energy price crises, and the more recent crises triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war on Ukraine. While irrigation development used to focus on public, large-scale, surface- and reservoir-fed systems, over the last several decades, private small-scale investments in groundwater irrigation have grown in importance and are expected to see rapid future growth, particularly in connection with solar-powered pumping systems. But is irrigation 'fit-for-purpose' to support population growth, economic development, and multiple food, energy and climate crises? This paper reviews how fit-for-purpose irrigation is with a focus on economies of scale of surface and groundwater systems, and a particular examination of systems in Sub-Saharan Africa where the need for expansion is largest. The review finds challenges for both larger surface and smaller groundwater systems in the face of growing demand for irrigated agriculture and dwindling and less reliable water supplies. To support resilience of the sector, we propose both a holistic design and management improvement agenda for larger surface systems, and a series of suggestions to improve sustainability concerns of groundwater systems.

Financing the Social Sector in Zimbabwe's Post-Mugabe Era—Obstacles and Opportunities

This chapter reviews the trends in social sector outcomes in Zimbabwe and assesses the financing challenges in the post-Mugabe era. While Zimbabwe made significant progress in developing its social sectors in the post-independence era, the economic crisis experienced from 1998 to 2008 reversed some of the gains that had been achieved. When the country adopted a multiple currency system in 2009, social sector outcomes improved, driven by a favourable macroeconomic environment. From 2016, however, the country's economic fortunes reversed as the economy began to experience renewed challenges, including falling revenues and declining fiscal space, and shortage of foreign currency to import critical drugs, among other factors. In addition, continued depreciation of the domestic currency since its introduction in 2019 presented additional challenges to the Second Republic, as people's incomes were eroded while fiscal space continued to be squeezed. The situation was further exacerbated by the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic which affected both the education and health sectors in negative ways. These developments underlined the need for additional financing requirements to close the widening financing gap in social sectors in Zimbabwe. As this chapter shows, some of the possible financing options include broadening the tax base to unlock additional resources particularly from the informal economy, exploring contributory schemes, tapping into international financial assistance, strengthening public–private partnerships and tapping into diaspora remittances. There is also a need for strengthening public institutions to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in utilisation of public funds earmarked for social sectors. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Role of banking sector in green economic growth: empirical evidence from South Asian economies

The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed progress to the achievement of net-zero and sustainability goals. In particular, emerging economies may benefit greatly from the cooperation of banking institutions in promoting green recovery. This study focusses on banking institutions in South Asian countries that boost the intermediary financial spread, according to a thorough sample of banks from 2011 to 2021. The analysis employs the data envelopment analysis method, and the results are robust. In addition to these characteristics, we also consider aspects such as urbanisation, industrialisation, and population expansion. Banks may play a significant role in facilitating the realisation of environmental targets because of the clear advantages of the results, which provide comfort for green recovery. As green financing may lead to more efficient and robust financial systems, the results provide strong evidence for policymakers, financial institutions, and the financial sector.

Reaction of the cereal market to the disruption of trade flows in Romania

The paper presents the reaction of the Romanian cereal market to the disruption of trade flows caused by certain shocks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which lead to changes with high impact on the functioning of this market, representing an important test for the resilience of the sector. Due to trade liberalization in global markets, including agri-food markets, the competitiveness of exports has become increasingly important, contributing to the creation of the country's competitive advantage. Any restrictions to trade in agri-food products can distort trade flows, and this disruption will have an impact on supply and prices. Maintaining a balance between imports and exports is essential to ensure domestic market stability. International trade in agri-food products plays an important role in global food security. The results show that Romania mainly exports unprocessed agricultural products, with cereals having the largest share in the export structure, cereal supply is dependent on climate change, yet it is one of the products with the lowest volatility. The cereal market shows a more elastic reaction to price responses, even though demand for staple foods is generally inelastic.

Cooperating for a better future

This document addresses what I consider to be the main problems in the world, although I recognize that there are other problems at the moment as well, such as inflation and the war in the Ukraine. I will try to address the main problems, which are of interest to CIRIEC, which is an international organization that pays special attention to what is called the Third Sector" or "Social Economy", an area that is located between the private business sector and the government even though I'm not, I must admit, an expert in the latter field. I'll deal with it in the context of discussing a couple of problems we're facing in the world that seem really important to me. The first problem is economic inequality, which I know something about. The second problem is climate change and environmental problems, which I think are the most important. I will also touch on at the end some problems related to the COVID pandemic. In all the problems, what we could call the Third Sector can play a great role.