China, United States, COVID-19 and the Long-standing Question of Human Rights: Problems of a dichotomous approach

The paper aims to argue that the conflictual debate on human rights between China and United States is characterized by a dichotomous approach which still reflects a Cold War logic and can have a detrimental impact on the full understanding of social, economic, political processes which are undergoing during our age. The argument has been built through a case-study on US-China public discourses on COVID-19 and human rights, which posits that a dichotomous approach has prevented an objective reading of the pandemic processes underway and thus influenced the health crisis' management on both sides.

CHINA, UNITED STATES, COVID-19 AND THE LONG-STANDING QUESTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS: PROBLEMS OF A DICHOTOMOUS APPROACH

The paper aims to argue that the conflictual debate on human rights between China and United States is characterized by a dichotomous approach which still reflects a Cold War logic and can have a detrimental impact on the full understanding of social, economic, political processes which are undergoing during our age. The argument has been built through a case-study on US-China public discourses on COVID-19 and human rights, which posits that a dichotomous approach has pre-vented an objective reading of the pandemic processes underway and thus influenced the health crisis’ management on both sides. © Viella s.r.l. & Associazione Asia Maior.

Pandemic responses at the subnational level: Exploring politics, administration, and politicization in Swedish municipalities.

The Swedish response to the pandemic at the national level has attracted considerable international attention, but little focus has been placed on the way municipalities dealt with the crisis. Using Hay's dimensions of politicization, namely the capacity for human agency, deliberation in the public domain, and social context, we analyze the politicization of the municipal response to the pandemic in Sweden. We do this based on the analysis of the decision making process to activate (or not) an extraordinary crisis management committee. We find inter alia, that (i) only a quarter of the municipalities activated the committee while a majority of them had an alternate special organization in place; (ii) support to the existing organizational structure was more salient than creating an extraordinary organization, and (iii) a robust municipal structure was deemed to be one able to withstand shocks without resorting to extraordinary governance arrangements. We find a 'conditioned politicization' of the response, privileging administration over politics.

La respuesta sueca a la pandemia a nivel nacional ha atraído una atención internacional considerable, pero se ha prestado poca atención a la forma en que los municipios abordaron la crisis. Usando las dimensiones de politización de Hay, a saber, la capacidad de agencia humana, la deliberación en el dominio público. y contexto social, analizamos la politización de la respuesta municipal a la pandemia a nivel municipal en Suecia a través de la elección de activar un comité extraordinario de gestión de crisis. Encontramos, entre otras cosas, que (i) solo una cuarta parte de los municipios activaron el comité mientras que la mayoría de ellos tenían una organización especial alterna; (ii) el apoyo a la estructura organizativa existente era más importante que la creación de una organización extraordinaria, y (iii) se consideraba que una estructura municipal robusta era capaz de soportar los impactos sin recurrir a arreglos de gobernanza extraordinarios. Encontramos una "politización condicionada" de la respuesta, privilegiando la administración sobre la política.

Social Security and the COVID-19 Crisis: A Dichotomy of Perceptions among Urban Residents in Poland

The aim of the research was to subjectively assess the situation of Polish urban households and their sense of social security during the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, primary household surveys were designed and subsequently carried out in Poland in April, June and September 2020 using the CAWI method. An assessment of household security was made, presenting households' subjective feelings about the loss of financial stability, loss of employment, and the overall deterioration of their situation. Responses also addressed a potential worsening in the situation in Poland, growing poverty of families, and rising unemployment in the country. One of the most important conclusions from the research is that there is a dichotomy of feelings among respondents whereby they view the situation of their households as better than that of the country as a whole. Furthermore, between the first and the second stages of the research, there was an increase in optimism among respondents, persisting into the third stage. Finally, the research results show that the smaller the city, the lower the sense of social security.

Digital platforms and international performance of Italian SMEs: an exploitation-based overview

Purpose>Recognising the increasing relevance of digital platforms in socio-economic dynamics, the paper aims at investigating in which ways digital platforms can influence the economic performances of Italian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) actively engaged in foreign countries.Design/methodology/approach>The paper adopts the interpretative lens provided by the exploration–exploitation dichotomy within current studies in knowledge management for defining knowledge-based factors able to influence the economic performance of Italian SMEs in foreign countries. An explorative study on secondary data related to 746 Italian SMEs is conducted for testing via structural equation modelling (SEM) the positive relationships between (1) SME's investment in information and communication technologies (ICT), (2) number of languages available for the SME's website and (3) number of languages available for SME's social pages and SME's return on sales (ROS) in foreign countries.Findings>The results underline the key role of exploitation factors in terms of influence on SME's performance in foreign countries.Originality/value>The paper enriches current studies about international marketing providing preliminary evidence about the key role of exploitation factors in influencing SME's performance in foreign countries.

Scientization Under Pressure-The Problematic Role of Expert Bodies During the Handling of the COVID-19 Pandemic

This article focuses on the role of experts in the Norwegian decision-making process in central government during the crisis management of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is based on a structural-instrumental and a cultural perspective. The main findings are that managing the pandemic led to a centralization of power in the hands of the political leadership, a blurring of the dichotomy between politics and administration, and a variety of expert advice. The crisis management also reflected the cultural appropriateness of a collaborative decision-making style, but it was not characterized by a scientization of policymaking. Rather than policymaking by experts it was policymaking informed by experts.

Mass casualty event scenarios and political shifts: 2020 election outcomes and the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 models indicate a mass casualty event may potentially occur in the United States. Among numerous social and economic changes, the potential to reshape the political landscape exists. The theoretical perspective of politics-administration dichotomy is used to examine the rhetoric, power, and authority of public health messages during the pandemic. This study considers political shifts using state-level data on population, historical voter turnout, and projected COVID-19 cases number coupled with national-level data on voter participation by age group and COVID-19 fatality rates. Developing a formula to calculate these data, we project the extent to which the number of voters from each party could diminish. The analysis shows the potential for significant political changes due to the disproportionate loss of older voters in key swing states in the months leading to the 2020 presidential election.

Social (in)security — the ambivalence of villagers’ perceptions during COVID-19

The aim of the study is to provide a subjective assessment of security in the social dimension of rural households during the COVID-19 pandemic. To achieve the objective, a four-stage primary study of households in Poland was designed and conducted. Subjective assessments of households’ perceptions about social security are presented. The possibility of loss of financial stability, job loss and deterioration of the household situation was assessed. The respondents also assessed the possibility of a worsening of the situation in the country, an increase in family poverty and an increase in unemployment in Poland. One of the most important findings is the dichotomy of the perceptions of the respondents, who assess the situation of their household better than that of the country. A different perspective on security is also provided by the rural optimism index, which can also be seen as a measure of vulnerability to social security. The considerations and analyses presented can be useful for both theoretical and practical purposes. The study improves knowledge on how households function under conditions of vulnerability. They also constitute a voice in the discussion on security in the social dimension. © 2022 International Journal of Health Sciences.