Question
All students are expected to submit a brief -1page- abstract before submission of final paper. These abstracts provide the student with the opportunity to have feedback on the structure of the intended research prior to the final submission. 3,000 words.
Theme: The impact of COVID 19 on society, economy and politics in the MENA region
Readings
‘Herd Immunity is Epidemiological Neoliberalism’. April 2020
Understanding the Infodemic and Misinformation in the Fight against COVID-19
Understanding the Infodemic and Misinformation in the Fight against COVID-19.pdf
‘Corona?, 5G?, or both?’: the dynamics of COVID-19/5G conspiracy theories on Facebook
Corona, 5G, or both_the dynamics of COVID-19~5G conspiracy theories on Facebook.pdf
‘How to Spot COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories’
How to Spot COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories.pdf
‘Protecting and Transforming Education for Shared Futures and Common Humanity’
Protecting and Transforming Education for Shared Futures and Common Humanity.pdf
Format :12
3000 words :10% margin of 300 words plus or minus
Solution
Abstract
As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, most governments in the MENA region have established massive institutional and massive plans to protect the community at risk. The pandemic has exposed many fragile institutions and poor governance in some parts of the MENA region. This paper will discuss the social, political, and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the MENA region. Regarding the impact on society, this paper will cover how the health crisis has amplified the existing vulnerabilities and its effect on education in the region. This includes its impact on the most disadvantaged population, refugees, migrants, children, women, and the youth in the region. Additionally, this paper covers the political impact of the pandemic in MENA countries, considering the preexisting political instabilities in Libya and the actions of the political elites. Under political impact, the paper will discuss how various governments have responded to ensure that continuity in public administration and provision of public services, such as ensuring social support and increasing awareness among citizens. Lastly, this paper will discuss the economic impact of COVID-19 on the MENA region, considering that the MENA economies significantly rely on oil and gas revenue, tourism revenue, and SMEs. The impact varies from oil exporting and oil importing MENA countries. Moreover, the decline in GDP is more severe in countries that heavily rely on oil revenue. Self-employed people and SMEs increase quality jobs in the region, but with the economic activity disrupted and the introduction of containment measures, they have been largely affected, with some having to sell their shares or go out of business. Considering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic felt in the MENA region, this paper suggests that the region can recover but with the help of political leaders who are willing to lead it away from the old habits such as political instability that had already ruined the region.
The Impact of COVID-19 in MENA Region
With thousands of lives lost and hundreds of thousands of infections across the MENA region, COVID-19 has exacerbated tensions, governance failures, and sectarianism, and deepened economic cleavages in the counties and within the states (Folliot, 2020). Moreover, the impact of the coronavirus has only worsened the various crises facing the MENA countries. Even though the storm is passing and many lives have been saved, the MENA region still struggles with the ruins caused by the pandemic. Since the MENA region has not been the same after the outbreak, recoveries in the states depend upon the government responses and choices (Karamouzian & Madani, 2020). With sound governance, the effects of the pandemic can be mitigated in the region. This region seems to have flattened the infection curve and reduced mortality rates, but its fragile resilience is under a critical test through the challenges facing its social, political, and economic stability. This paper will discuss the impact of COVID-19 on society, the economy, and politics in the MENA region.
Impact on Society
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered several social challenges in the MENA region. It has amplified the preexisting vulnerabilities in the region. At first, the pandemic has increased the existing tension between the social elites and ordinary citizens in the region. Before the pandemic, Hassan et al. (2021) state that the rich in the MENA region population, which makes up 10% of the population, own 63% of the wealth. Thus the region was already among the most unequal across the world. As a result, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these inequalities because the ordinary citizens were disproportionally exposed to the coronavirus and its socioeconomic effects. In Morocco, for instance, 75% of workers from the most disadvantaged households were affected by revenue losses compared to 40% of workers from the most well-off households (Achou et al., 2020). Due to varying income levels in both households, the regions’ population copping mechanism and abilities were affected. As several countries in the region offered social assistance programmers, more than one-third of the population in the respective countries were concerned with this measure. For instance, in Tunisia, 890,000 families qualified for the help offered by the Tunisian Ministry of Social Affairs (Achou et al., 2020). Therefore, besides those in the informal workforce, COVID-19 disproportionally affected those who cannot work, such as children and disabled persons. Therefore, the MENA region experienced more pressure on its existing inequality patterns …………for help with this assignment contact us via Email Address: consulttutor10@gmail.com