Post-pandemic Recovery Research Articles

Household Food Insecurity During the COVID-19 Pandemic Between Slum and Non-Slum Areas in Kinshasa, DR Congo: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Food insecurity is a vital issue, especially in places such as Kinshasa. Additionally, food insecurity has been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Thus, this study examined food insecurity in Kinshasa after the peak of the pandemic to understand the impact of post-pandemic recovery efforts as well as the heterogeneity of this problem according to the residence of respondent (slum vs. non-slum areas). Methods: Grounded in the four key dimensions of food security (availability, access, vulnerability, and utilization), this cross-sectional study was conducted in Kinshasa with a representative sample of 2170 households selected from 62 enumeration areas. We used a questionnaire to interview participants about their food situations. Interviews were conducted with the head of each household or their designated representative by 150 master’s students using tablets powered by the SurveyCTO application. Household food security status was evaluated using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale. A logistic regression model was developed to assess household risk factors associated with food insecurity. Results: Most people we talked to were over 40 years old, and many lived in households with fewer than six people. About a third of the households were overcrowded. The prevalence of food insecurity was 76.5% (95%CI: 74.6–78.3). Factors associated with food insecurity included being a household head aged over 50 years, insufficient living space, lower socioeconomic status, and residing in slum areas (AOR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.06–1.79). Conclusions: Vulnerable groups, such as slum residents, older adults, and informal workers are more likely to be affected by food insecurity. Addressing these challenges requires the government to develop targeted strategies that bolster resilience and mitigate household vulnerability during crises.

Corporate Governance, ESG, Audit Committee and Financial Performance in European Investment Holding Companies

The purpose of this research paper is to explore the connection between Corporate Governance, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), Audit Committee (AC) and Financial Performance in European Investment Holding Companies. This paper aims to understand whether there is a correlation between these elements. The study answers the following research question: "What is the impact of corporate governance indicators, ESG and financial performance on investments in public holding companies in Europe?" Our findings reveal significant correlations between corporate governance structures and financial performance metrics, as well as the influence of ESG ratings on financial performance and corporate governance. Additionally, we identify the effects of audit committee characteristics on financial performance and ESG outcomes. The reported data is collected from a sample of companies included in the Refinitiv Eikon Database and analysed using a panel data analysis at both regional and industry level. The sample is composed of 228 European Companies, covering a period of 4 years, from 2019-2022. I chose this because it includes the impact of the pandemic and the post-pandemic recovery period, providing insight into the adaptability and resilience of companies in the face of major economic challenges.This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the dynamics between corporate governance, ESG practices and financial performance, providing valuable insights for investors, managers and regulators aiming to navigate sustainable investment strategies in the European market. This sample is considered large enough to provide meaningful data and draw relevant conclusions. Companies from various European countries were included to reflect the diversity of the market and to analyse variations in governance and ESG practices in different national contexts. The focus on public holding companies provides a specific perspective on how these entities manage corporate governance and ESG, given their importance in the European economy. The selection of the sample was based on the availability of financial and corporate governance data to ensure the reliability and validity of the analysis. This data will be used to investigate how governance and ESG practices influence companies' financial performance, thus providing important insights for understanding the relationship between these aspects within the European market.

Big Data Analytics for Forecasting Tourism Recovery in Bali Island Using Multivariate Time Series

Bali is a famous tourist area and can significantly contribute to the Indonesian tourism sector. The COVID-19 pandemic has made Indonesian tourism, including Bali tourism, experience a decline. In March 2022, COVID-19 cases decreased, and the government began to relax some policies. The tourism sector is vital in economic recovery efforts after the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it is necessary to identify tourism recovery to determine strategies and policies related to Indonesian tourism, especially in Bali. Multivariate time series forecasting of tourism demand can be used to identify tourism recovery using several significant data sources. The methods used are Vector Autoregressive (VAR), Support Vector Regression (SVR), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), and Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU). The data used are the monthly official number of tourists, room occupancy rate, Google Trends, number of booking.com user reviews, and nighttime light intensity in Bali Province from January 2019 to December 2022. The results show that the best forecasting method is VAR, and modeling with multivariate time series forecasting can improve the performance of forecasting results. In addition, big data can be used as a source of supporting data that can provide better forecasting results, and the size of the dataset affects the selection of the best model. Furthermore, the descriptive and forecasting analysis results show that Bali tourism has experienced post-pandemic tourism recovery. The strategies and policies of the Bali government to restore Bali tourism faster are good enough.

Anatomy of Wage Rigidity in China: Lessons from the Global Financial Crisis for Post-pandemic Recovery

This study examines the extent and cause of Chinese firms’ labour cost adjustment during the 2008 global financial crisis (GFC). First, we confirm that some typical features of downward nominal wage rigidity during the recession period coincide with the implementation of the Labour Contract Law, covering wages and social security payments. Second, we find that firms with higher shares of casual workers could lower their labour cost more effectively. The overall results demonstrate that the Quantitative Easing programme was necessary for counteracting the economic downturn during the GFC. Therefore, the length of this on-going crisis would be affected by wage rigidity in the economy. This study has implications for addressing the economic downturn in China following the COVID-19 pandemic, which is characterised by a high level of unemployment.

The Role of Sharia Economics in Realizing Sustainable Development in Indonesia

This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the role of Sharia economics in promoting sustainable development in Indonesia. By examining 810 publications between 2006 and 2024, the study explores key research trends, themes, and collaborations in the literature. The analysis reveals a significant increase in research activity after 2020, with a focus on aligning Islamic finance principles with sustainable development goals (SDGs), particularly in areas such as poverty alleviation, economic growth, and green finance. Keyword co-occurrence visualizations highlight the importance of concepts such as "green sukuk," "economic growth," and "poverty alleviation," while co-authorship networks show concentrated collaboration within small research groups. The findings suggest that Sharia economics has substantial potential to contribute to SDGs, particularly through instruments like green sukuk and waqf, but greater interdisciplinary collaboration and exploration of emerging topics like technology and post-pandemic recovery are needed. These insights have significant implications for both academic research and policy-making in Indonesia and beyond.

Determinants of ICT Adoption in Business for Emerging SME Entrepreneurs in Indonesia

This study investigates the factors of ICT adoption by early-level small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia after the pandemic. The study was conducted among 237 new SME entrepreneurs from Indonesia's sixth-highest economic growth regions, with a confirmatory analysis of ICT adoption constructs in a structural equation model (SEM) analysis. This study showed that the benefits and integration with consumers are SMEs' main determinants when adopting ICT when starting their business. This condition is a rational response from SMEs when they begin their business in Indonesia's post-pandemic economic recovery conditions, which need to immediately emerge to capture the market with the efficiency and effectiveness of business processes. The study's results empirically provide a valid and reliable description of the determinants of ICT adoption for strengthening post-pandemic SME business practices and theoretically offer empirical evidence of factors for improving and strengthening digital transformation in business through usefulness and integration with consumers.

Association between land use features and changes in walking patterns from pre-pandemic to post-pandemic: A case study of city of Sydney (2013–2023)

While the impact of the pandemic on active mobility patterns is widely studied in several cities, the underlying characteristics that describe the heterogeneity in changes in active mobility are less understood. This is particularly important for post-pandemic active mobility planning. This study aims to investigate and describe the association between urban population and land-use features, as well as changes in the spatio-temporal patterns of walking from pre-pandemic to post-pandemic through a case study of the city of Sydney, Australia, using 11 years of pedestrian count data from 2013 to 2023. The findings indicate that during the pandemic, the average daily pedestrian traffic in Sydney decreased significantly compared to the pre-pandemic period. However, since experiencing the lowest pedestrian traffic in 2020, activities in the study area have shown signs of partial recovery, with a 51% increase observed in 2023. The observed changes in pedestrian activities are, however, spatially heterogeneous. Modeling results reveal that areas with greater commercial land use, more points of interest (POIs), higher population density, and higher network connectivity experienced a significant negative change in the number of walking trips from the pre-pandemic to the pandemic period. Areas with higher percentages of educational and residential use and with higher personal income experienced smaller changes in pedestrian activities during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period. During the post-pandemic recovery, the influential features remain mostly unchanged; however, the association direction is the opposite.

Increased spending on low-value care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Virginia.

Characterizing the value and equity of care delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial to uncovering health system vulnerabilities and informing postpandemic recovery. We used insurance claims to evaluate low-value (no clinical benefit, potentially harmful) and clinically indicated utilization of a subset of 11 ambulatory services within a cohort of ∼2 million Virginia adults during the first 2 years of the pandemic (March 1, 2020-December 31, 2021). In 2020, low-value and clinically indicated utilization decreased similarly, while in 2021, low-value and clinically indicated utilization were 7% higher and 4% lower, respectively, than prepandemic rates. Extrapolated to Virginia's population of insured adults, ∼$1.3 billion in spending was associated with low-value utilization of the 11 services during the study period, with 2021 spending rates 6% higher than prepandemic rates. During March 1, 2020-December 31, 2021, low-value and clinically indicated utilization were 15% and 16% lower, respectively, than pre-pandemic rates among patients with the greatest socioeconomic deprivation but similar to prepandemic rates among patients with the least socioeconomic deprivation. These results highlight widening healthcare disparities and underscore the need for policy-level efforts to address the complex drivers of low-value care and equitably redistribute expenditures to services that enhance health.

Impact of Economic Crises on Banking Sector Performance- A Comparative Analysis of Conventional and Islamic Banks Across OIC Countries

This study investigates the impact of three significant economic crises—the Eurozone Debt Crisis (2010-2012), the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020-2021), and the Post-Pandemic Economic Recovery (2021-2022)—on the performance of conventional and Islamic banks in Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries. Using a dataset of 4,381 observations from 34 OIC countries, panel regression techniques are employed to evaluate the influence of these crises on key financial performance metrics: Return on Shareholders' Funds (ROSF), Profit Margin (PM), Return on Total Assets (ROA), Current Ratio (CR), and Solvency Ratio (SR). The analysis reveals that while the Eurozone Debt Crisis did not significantly affect bank performance, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a notable decline in profitability but an improvement in liquidity. The results highlight that during the COVID-19 pandemic, banks faced substantial challenges in maintaining profitability, as evidenced by the significant decrease in PM. However, the improvement in CR suggests that banks enhanced their liquidity management strategies to cope with the crisis. The Post-Pandemic Economic Recovery phase brought positive changes in both profitability and liquidity, demonstrating the ability of banks to adapt and thrive as economic conditions stabilized. Macroeconomic variables, such as GDP growth and inflation, played crucial roles, with GDP growth positively affecting ROSF and inflation negatively impacting PM. These findings underscore the importance of a diversified banking system, including both conventional and Islamic banks, to enhance financial stability. Policymakers and financial regulators should consider the unique strengths of Islamic banking principles in regulatory frameworks and prioritize sound macroeconomic policies to promote stability and resilience in the banking sector. Future research should further explore the long-term impacts of economic crises on bank performance across different regions and banking models, as well as the interaction between regulatory environments and bank resilience. Keywords: Economic crises, bank performance, conventional banks, Islamic banks, OIC countries, COVID-19 pandemic, Eurozone Debt Crisis, post-pandemic recovery, financial stability, macroeconomic factors.

VOTES AND VALUATIONS: THE IMPACT OF LOK SABHA ELECTIONS ON STOCK MARKET

This paper investigates the impact of the 2024 Indian Lok Sabha elections on the stock market, a relationship of significant interest to economists, investors, and policymakers. Given the pivotal role of the Lok Sabha in shaping India's economic policies and legislative landscape, the outcomes of these elections are expected to have substantial implications for market dynamics. Historical data analysis reveals that past elections have consistently led to increased market volatility and activity, reflecting investor sentiment towards political stability and economic policy continuity. This study employs a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches, including historical data analysis, event studies, and predictive modeling, to forecast potential market reactions. Key factors such as political stability, proposed economic reforms, global economic environment, and investor sentiment are examined to understand their influence on market behavior. The 2024 elections are especially significant as they occur during a period of post-pandemic economic recovery, technological advancements, and evolving geopolitical relations. By analyzing these factors, the paper aims to provide insights into how different election outcomes might affect various sectors, investment strategies, and overall market performance. The findings are intended to aid investors in navigating the election period, making informed decisions, and understanding the broader implications of political events on economic stability and growth. This comprehensive analysis contributes to the existing literature on political economy and market behavior, offering valuable perspectives for stakeholders involved in the Indian financial markets.

Postpandemic economic recovery: analysis of income tax collection in mypes in Peru, 2020 - 2023

Postpandemic economic recovery: analysis of income tax collection in mypes in Peru, 2020 - 2023

Do we pay based on our past travel experience? A moderated mediation model of tourists’ willingness to pay

PurposeThis study aims to test the first and second-stage moderating effects of tourists’ past travel experiences on the relationships between national responses, destination trust and tourists’ willingness to pay in the post-pandemic recovery era.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed model was tested with a sample of 398 tourists in Vietnam. The path analysis was applied to investigate the mediating and moderating effects.FindingsThe findings emphasise the mediating effect of destination trust in the relationships between national responses and tourists’ willingness to pay. With the moderating effect of past travel experience, all the first-stage indirect effects are significant, but the second-stage indirect effects are significant only at a high level of past travel experience.Originality/valueThis study provides theoretical implications for solving the puzzle about the paradox of trust in the government’s responses in the post-pandemic era. Practical implications for destination marketing organisations in the post-pandemic recovery era are then discussed.

The Networked Data Lab: using linked data to understand intermediate care services in the United Kingdom

Intermediate care (IC) is short-term care aimed at maximising patients’ independence. Across the UK, scaling up IC is included in post-pandemic recovery plans. This could reduce pressures on acute services through timely discharge or preventing admissions. The issues IC seeks to address are common across high-income countries. The Networked Data Lab is a network of analytical teams embedded in the UK health and care system. Each year, we support five local partners with acquisition, linkage and analysis of health and social care datasets. Our 2023-24 project is focused on IC. Patients and the public (PP) played an integral role in throughout our project. We established a panel of individuals with lived experience of IC to assist with the research questions, interpretation, and communication of results. Our partners all consult PP in their areas to inform their analyses. Our partners’ analyses of linked patient-level data on IC will provide information about who is receiving IC, changes over time and outcomes for patients. We are also analysing national linked data for England on intermediate care following hospital discharge. Preliminary results include: The age and health needs of people receiving bed-based intermediate care has increased over time (Grampian, Scotland) Intermediate care following a hospital admission is more common for emergency admissions than elective admissions (Leeds, England) Large variation in intermediate care delivery between neighbouring boroughs (North West London, England) Full results are expected in April 2024. Our work highlights the importance of linking data to answer important health and care questions.

Has the COVID-19 pandemic affected travellers’ willingness to wait with real-time crowding information?

Travel preferences in public transport (PT) have been substantially affected by the COVID-19 crisis, with rising emphasis on on-board safety and comfort aspects. Hence, real-time crowding information (RTCI) might have become even more instrumental in supporting travel decisions in congested urban PT systems. This study investigates the willingness to wait (WTW) to reduce (or avoid) overcrowding with RTCI in urban PT (bus and tram) journeys, analysing pre- vs. post-COVID travel behaviour attitudes. Stated-preference data and (subsequently estimated) choice models indicate that, while the pre-COVID WTW was primarily driven by mere possibility to avoid an overcrowded first departure, the post-COVID propensity to wait is strongly associated with expectations of seat availability in second departure as well. The ex-post WTW with RTCI seems to have become less-dependent on individual characteristics and more prominent for time-critical (obligatory) trips as well. Our findings underpin the rising relevance of passenger overcrowding in urban PT journeys. Moreover, they help better understand the potential of RTCI in post-pandemic recovery of PT ridership.

Implementasi Kurikulum Merdeka untuk Meningkatkan Perkembangan Holistik Siswa dalam Pembelajaran Pendidikan Agama Islam (PAI) di MTs MINAT Kesugihan Cilacap

In the context of post-pandemic learning recovery, the Ministry of Education and Culture has officially implemented the latest curriculum entitled independent learning which will begin to be implemented in the 2022/2023 academic year in all educational units independently. The aim of this research is to describe the implementation of the independent curriculum in Islamic Religious Education learning at MTs MINAT Kesugihan as well as the positive impacts and obstacles in implementing the independent curriculum in Islamic Religious Education learning at MTs MINAT Kesugihan. This research applies a qualitative phenomenological approach to the field study type. Data collection techniques were carried out through observation, interviews and document study. The research results show that the independent curriculum implementation process is broken down into three stages, namely planning, implementation and evaluation. The positive impacts of implementing the independent curriculum on Islamic Religious Education learning include increasing teacher and student creativity, increasing student enthusiasm and activeness in learning, and increasing teacher enthusiasm in developing their own capacity. The obstacle in implementing the independent curriculum in Islamic Religious Education learning is the difficulty of educators in creating fun and quality learning and determining the right themes and content for P5 activities to suit students' interests and talents.

Sustainable Homestay Marketing Strategy: Triple Bottom Line Implementation for Post-Pandemic Economic Recovery in Pulesari Tourism Village

The development of tourism villages is an important issue in implementing sustainable tourism principles related to the triple bottom line concept. Pulesari Village is expected to become a tourist village that is able to integrate economic (profit), social (people), and environmental (planet) interests in managing its homestay business. The purpose of this research is to understand the homestay marketing model carried out by the Pulesari Tourism Village Manager in relation to the triple bottom line concept. This research uses data collection techniques through non-participatory observation, in depth interviews, and documentation. The results of this study found that the community owns assets in the form of homestays and is managed professionally together with an institution formed by the village. A percentage profit-sharing system is used as an instrument for sharing income from homestay management. However, efforts to maintain environmental quality are still not the main promotional material because there are still weaknesses, especially in waste management. The community as part of the subject of economic activity in Pulesari Tourism Village needs to be further involved in the process of homestay management and marketing while balancing economic, social and environmental interests.

‘The Green Areas Are Out of Our Reach’: Racialisation, Erasure and Resistance in UK Urban Greening Initiatives

Commitments to Build Back Greener remain prominent in international approaches to post-pandemic economic recovery. Yet, few studies have considered how the associated processes of valuing, preserving and erasing green spaces in urban greening redevelopment projects are inflected by racialised inequalities. Drawing on 29 interviews with policy practitioners and racially minoritised residents in Oldham (North-West England), this article contests discursive framings of greening projects as vehicles of equality and conviviality, by utilising the lens of racial capitalism. In doing so, the article identifies two processes of symbolic and material erasure in urban greening redevelopment strategies: the overwriting of racial signifiers in local imaginaries of place and the vulnerability to development of urban greenery in racialised localities. The article further documents resistance via the reclaiming of green space by racialised residents and sheds lights on the under-explored synergies of ‘race’ and urban greening initiatives.

Government promotion and city image: visitor intentions in Macao

PurposeThis study aims to critically evaluate the impact of government tourism promotion methods on city image and visiting intentions and to explore the moderating effect of tourism experience on two of the conceptualized relationships, using Macao as a case study.Design/methodology/approachThe research analyzed responses from 407 Macao visitors during the pandemic to determine the effects of tourism promotion methods on the city’s image and visiting intention using structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the hypotheses.FindingsThis study revealed that tourism promotion methods positively impact the city’s image and visiting intentions. City image also mediates the relationship between tourism promotion methods and visiting intentions. Furthermore, tourism experience moderates the relationships between promotion methods and city image and between promotion methods and visiting intentions.Research limitations/implicationsThe study’s findings on the effects of promotion methods utilized by local governments support and expand upon existing theoretical frameworks within the realm of nonprofit organizations’ management and marketing for destination marketing organizations (DMOs). However, the cross-sectional design limits causality, and findings may not be generalizable beyond Macao without further comparative research.Practical implicationsThis study provides valuable insights for policymakers and marketers to design promotional campaigns that deliver authentic and memorable experiences, aligning with their promotional promises, especially in postpandemic contexts.Social implicationsThis research contributes to the theoretical and methodological advancement of management and marketing for DMOs from a public sector perspective, highlighting the critical role of government involvement in urban tourism promotion.Originality/valueThe research offers valuable insights into how promotional activities influence visiting intentions, advancing tourism management and marketing for DMOs from a nonprofit perspective. The study validates theories and adds unique insights by focusing on Macao’s postpandemic recovery, offering practical implications for similar urban settings.

Generating "Différance" or an Ontology That Is Same Old Same Old Comment on "The Generative Mechanisms of Financial Strain and Financial Well-Being: A Critical Realist Analysis of Ideology and Difference"

Glenn and colleagues carefully conducted a realist review of initiatives introduced in high-income countries intended to improve financial well-being (FWB) or reduce financial strain (FS) during the early days of the pandemic. They found that these initiatives were underpinned by either neoliberal or social equity ideologies, within which, social location acted on different groups. In this commentary, we suggest caution in applying labels such as neoliberalism and social equity when lumping social welfare policies; labour policies; housing and financial services policies; and service provision for health, seniors, childcare, and education across welfare state regimes. We also caution against aggregating equity-deserving groups from different contexts into a single otherness. We suggest a pragmatic reinterpretation of the study’s findings and in future examinations of post-pandemic recovery in accordance with long-standing pragmatic methods of working in public health that seek to improve population health and well-being through collective action.

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigration and immigrant wellbeing in the United States

This article highlights the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigration.and immigrant wellbeing in the United States by focusing on all categories of migrants, documented and undocumented. We argue that in the wake of the pandemic, immigrants disproportionately experienced higher rates of unemployment, greater losses of income, more exposure occupational risks, and higher rates of food and housing insecurity, all of which exacerbated preexisting differentials in access to health and health care to generate higher rates of COVID infection, morbidity, and mortality among adults and stunted educational outcomes for their children. The prospects for a full post-pandemic recovery of immigrants' wellbeing are dampened by the severe nature of COVID's negative effects on immigrants; the unusually hostile context of reception immigrants face after the pandemic; the large number of immigrants lacking legal status or holding tenuous documentation; and the formidable deportation regime that prevails in the United States that puts a great strain on immigrant communities. Undocumented migration has surged to restart undocumented population growth, further clouding the future for immigrants in the country. It is unclear whether reforms proposed by the Biden Administration be enacted and successful in improving their prospects. In general, this article aims to contribute to the broader discussion about migration and health policies.