Conceptualizing expectations - Vietnam’s responses during COVID-19 as an illustration

Abstract

Background A key part of the complexity of actual social life lies in the fact that it operates on a large web of not only prescribed norms and rules, but also explicit and especially implicit expectations which constantly interact with each other. Methods This paper offers the first in-depth study on ‘expectations’ in bioethical and health law studies, taking Vietnam’s responses to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as an illustration. Results It defines ‘expectations’ as normative imaginaries that can induce or guide actions and inactions at individual and collective levels. Conclusions It suggests that ‘expectations’ is a fruitful concept for bioethical and health law studies because it helps better understand the complexity of interactions in society and patterns of thinking and acting of actors in real-world contexts. Studying expectations has implications for governance and future research agendas.