Managing the post COVID-19 new normal: Redressing vulnerabilities of different occupational groups through social contract of public sector transparency and accountability
The COVID-19 has had a significant impact on various occupational groups in Bangladesh, disrupting their fundamental necessities and everyday activities. This study examines the governance responses to these occupational groups, focusing on transparency and accountability through the lens of the soc...
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| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-10-01
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| Series: | Progress in Disaster Science |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590061725000547 |
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| author | Shamima Prodhan Khondoker Mokaddem Hossain Md. Juel Mia |
| author_facet | Shamima Prodhan Khondoker Mokaddem Hossain Md. Juel Mia |
| author_sort | Shamima Prodhan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The COVID-19 has had a significant impact on various occupational groups in Bangladesh, disrupting their fundamental necessities and everyday activities. This study examines the governance responses to these occupational groups, focusing on transparency and accountability through the lens of the social contract theory. Unlike prior studies focused on economic impacts, this study reveals how governance failures exacerbated vulnerabilities of a critical gap in pandemic literature. By employing a mixed-methods approach, this study integrated qualitative techniques (key informant interviews and focus group discussions) with quantitative surveys to analyze both primary data collected from 355 respondents and secondary data from institutional reports and scholarly literature. A significant association was found between the pandemic's impact and occupational groups (X2(1, N = 355) =49.09, p = 0.000), highlighting job losses, reduced income, business closures, and salary deductions. A high prevalence of income dissatisfaction was observed, with 97.7 % of respondents expressing their discontent. Financial strain during different pandemic waves was evident, with t-values of 13.09 (first wave vs. pre-pandemic), −11.051 (first wave vs. second wave), and 8.073 (pre-pandemic vs. second wave), all p < 0.001. The government played a major role in providing food (p = 0.000) and health (p = 0.002) support; however, cash aid did not demonstrate statistical significance (p = 0.138). Gender inequalities were apparent in the provision of relief aid, with notable discrepancies in food assistance (p = 0.007), cash support (p < 0.001), and healthcare aid (p < 0.001). The study findings highlight the gaps in accountability and transparency in distributing support services, offering valuable insights for policymakers and researchers to enhance the resilience of impoverished populations in future crises. The study reveals novel insights into gendered aid disparities, urban-rural perception gaps, and systemic shortcomings in social safety nets during crises. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e618b472245f47cba63fb37a798fde21 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2590-0617 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-10-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Progress in Disaster Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-e618b472245f47cba63fb37a798fde212025-08-20T04:02:50ZengElsevierProgress in Disaster Science2590-06172025-10-012710045710.1016/j.pdisas.2025.100457Managing the post COVID-19 new normal: Redressing vulnerabilities of different occupational groups through social contract of public sector transparency and accountabilityShamima Prodhan0Khondoker Mokaddem Hossain1Md. Juel Mia2Corresponding author.; Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, BangladeshInstitute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, BangladeshInstitute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, BangladeshThe COVID-19 has had a significant impact on various occupational groups in Bangladesh, disrupting their fundamental necessities and everyday activities. This study examines the governance responses to these occupational groups, focusing on transparency and accountability through the lens of the social contract theory. Unlike prior studies focused on economic impacts, this study reveals how governance failures exacerbated vulnerabilities of a critical gap in pandemic literature. By employing a mixed-methods approach, this study integrated qualitative techniques (key informant interviews and focus group discussions) with quantitative surveys to analyze both primary data collected from 355 respondents and secondary data from institutional reports and scholarly literature. A significant association was found between the pandemic's impact and occupational groups (X2(1, N = 355) =49.09, p = 0.000), highlighting job losses, reduced income, business closures, and salary deductions. A high prevalence of income dissatisfaction was observed, with 97.7 % of respondents expressing their discontent. Financial strain during different pandemic waves was evident, with t-values of 13.09 (first wave vs. pre-pandemic), −11.051 (first wave vs. second wave), and 8.073 (pre-pandemic vs. second wave), all p < 0.001. The government played a major role in providing food (p = 0.000) and health (p = 0.002) support; however, cash aid did not demonstrate statistical significance (p = 0.138). Gender inequalities were apparent in the provision of relief aid, with notable discrepancies in food assistance (p = 0.007), cash support (p < 0.001), and healthcare aid (p < 0.001). The study findings highlight the gaps in accountability and transparency in distributing support services, offering valuable insights for policymakers and researchers to enhance the resilience of impoverished populations in future crises. The study reveals novel insights into gendered aid disparities, urban-rural perception gaps, and systemic shortcomings in social safety nets during crises.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590061725000547COVID-19Disaster governanceOccupational vulnerabilityGender disparitiesSocial contract theory |
| spellingShingle | Shamima Prodhan Khondoker Mokaddem Hossain Md. Juel Mia Managing the post COVID-19 new normal: Redressing vulnerabilities of different occupational groups through social contract of public sector transparency and accountability Progress in Disaster Science COVID-19 Disaster governance Occupational vulnerability Gender disparities Social contract theory |
| title | Managing the post COVID-19 new normal: Redressing vulnerabilities of different occupational groups through social contract of public sector transparency and accountability |
| title_full | Managing the post COVID-19 new normal: Redressing vulnerabilities of different occupational groups through social contract of public sector transparency and accountability |
| title_fullStr | Managing the post COVID-19 new normal: Redressing vulnerabilities of different occupational groups through social contract of public sector transparency and accountability |
| title_full_unstemmed | Managing the post COVID-19 new normal: Redressing vulnerabilities of different occupational groups through social contract of public sector transparency and accountability |
| title_short | Managing the post COVID-19 new normal: Redressing vulnerabilities of different occupational groups through social contract of public sector transparency and accountability |
| title_sort | managing the post covid 19 new normal redressing vulnerabilities of different occupational groups through social contract of public sector transparency and accountability |
| topic | COVID-19 Disaster governance Occupational vulnerability Gender disparities Social contract theory |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590061725000547 |
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