Social Structure Adaptation to COVID-19 Impact on Humanity

Part I: Introduction

1. Society and COVID-19

William Loxley and Suresh Nanwani

2. Identifying international essays about COVID-19

Suresh Nanwani and William Loxley

3. Awakening from a paradise lost: experiences and lessons of the pandemic

Owen Bethel

Part II: Educational opportunity and social mobility

4. Introduction to the social sector

William Loxley and Suresh Nanwani

5. Personal development in a time of crisis

Frédéric Ysewijn

6. Tails we go, heads we stay

Ariel Segal

7. Adapting to virtual education during the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru

Victor Saco

8. The plight of virtual education in India due to COVID-19

Anwesha Pal

9. COVID-19 and tertiary education: experiences in Lesotho institutions

Tsotang Tsietsi

10. Lifelong learning as a powerful force in the post-pandemic world

William Loxley

Part III: Public policy and risk management

11. Introduction to the political sector

Suresh Nanwani and William Loxley

12. New Zealand: global connectivity and digital diplomacy

Tracey Epps

13. Brazil in crisis mode: institutions in times of uncertainty

José Guilherme Moreno Caiado

14. Legal practice in Kenya: embracing automation and e-judiciary

Leyla Ahmed

15. The pandemic and post-pandemic aftershocks: whither legal education?

Shouvik Kumar Guha

16. Change and continuity: COVID-19 and the Philippine legal system

Antonio G.M. La Viña

17. Digital technology: a best friend for implementing COVID-19 policy in China 

Li Xudong

18. The goldfish and the net(work)

Nicole Mazurek

Part IV: Diversity in workforce behavior

19. Introduction to the economic sector

William Loxley and Suresh Nanwani

20. Entering the workforce in the COVID-19 era

S.R. Westvik

21. How a Gen Y became a Gen Z at heart

Bina Patel

22. Unlocking from lockdown: reframing the future through appreciative dialogue

Keith Storace

23. COVID-19 and moving to the new normal

Victoria Márquez-Mees

24. Financial literacy: its relevance in the education curriculum

Marie-Louise Fehun Aren

25. Self-coaching for pandemic survivors

Vikram Kapoor

Part V: Technology and culture

26. Introduction to the cultural sector

Suresh Nanwani and William Loxley

27. Will technology replace or recreate humans?

Arthur Luna

28. Privacy issues in online education technologies in China

Li Mengxuan

29. Digital technology during COVID-19 in global living educational theory research

Jack Whitehead

30. I’m gonna let it shine: local musicians in the Virginia countryside during the pandemic

Lori Udall

31. Emotional and physical isolation in a Latino community

Alfred Anduze

32. Braving COVID-19 through the Gross National Happiness way in Bhutan 

Tshering Cigay Dorji

33. A resurrection: human connections and beyond

Suresh Nanwani

Part VI: Conclusion

34. Social structure adaptability to the pandemic

Suresh Nanwani and William Loxley

Biography

Suresh Nanwani is Professor in Practice in the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University, the United Kingdom. He has more than 35 years of development work experience in international organizations, including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. He is a certified mediator with the Center for Effective Dispute Resolution, the United Kingdom, and an associate certified coach with the International Coaching Federation. He is the author of Organization and Education Development: Reflecting and Transforming in a Self-Discovery Journey (Routledge, 2021).

William Loxley is a former principal education specialist at the Asian Development Bank and executive director of the International Association for the Evaluation of Academic Achievement (IEA) headquartered in the Netherlands. He is now retired and living in the Philippines, and he maintains an advisory role in education at the above institutions. He also previously worked at the World Bank, the Ford Foundation, the Fulbright Program in Vietnam, and the Peace Corps in the Philippines.

“The COVID-19 pandemic left its scar on the very core of humanity. The experiences, challenges, implications, and lessons impacted the world during the pandemic. The ways in which the social structures of our societies adapted and continue to change deserve further study from the multidisciplinary writers across diverse regions. This book fills an important gap in documenting the impact of the pandemic on humanity. The book’s essays chronicle cross-cultural accounts about the diversity of life experience. This book is highly recommended.”

Olabisi D. Akinkugbe, Viscount Bennett Professor of Law, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, Canada

“This book highlights several singularities that this 'black swan' event has revealed as a consequence of its stress on humanity:

• Complex thinking is needed to tackle the entanglement of cause and effect within domains of knowledge to educate people about the pandemic to prevent magical thinking from taking over. 
• Public health science is not the holy grail for managing a health crisis: There is an urgent need to walk the talk of collaborative ways to implement public policy.
• The post COVID-19 era must be defined by a new shared model of governance, which is bottom-up and respectful of the rights of people and communities.

Whoever reads this book will be better prepared to understand the next pandemic and contribute to its resolution as a global citizen.”

Jean-Jacques Bernatas, General practitioner, public health expert, and founder of Human Touch for Health, France 

“In this fascinating survey of Covid’s worldwide impacts, Nanwani and Loxley detail how all sectors of societies worked hard to adapt to this medical emergency. They show how virtual replaced in-person communication in workplaces, courtrooms and schools, and how medical facilities and responders were affected. With examples from various countries including India, Peru, Kenya, New Zealand, Philippines, and the United States, this book provides a uniquely valuable compendium of what occurred.”

 Paul Hirsch, Professor of Management and Organization, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, USA

“As we venture into this post-pandemic era, there is a great deal to be learned about how societies created ways of putting aside their differences to deal with the global crisis cooperatively. Social Structure Adaptation to COVID-19: Impact on Humanity offers insights into how nations found ways of working together to provide economic resources and develop cultural insights. The book is well worth reading and returning to many times. It provides a rich source of information for those wishing to learn from the past on how to address problems of common concern in the future.”

Marie Huxtable, Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Cumbria, UK, and Editor of the Educational Journal of Living Theories

“This thoughtfully edited volume offers key insights into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on societies and individuals across the world, delving into diverse areas such as work, learning, and innovations in social media. The essays capture the extraordinary responses that emerged in the face of what the editors believe could be an outlier or a “black swan” event. The book’s strength lies in its diverse range of perspectives from contributors with global expertise. Using a systems analysis approach to mapping societal changes is what sets apart Social Structure Adaptation to COVID-19 from other books.  Its comprehensive approach to understanding the pandemic’s impact on society, from reflections on governance and institutions to individuals and their transformative life experiences, is worth reading.”

Eva-Maria Nag, Senior Executive Editor of Global Policy Journal and Co-Director of the Global Policy Institute, School of Government and International Affairs, Durham University, UK

“This book not only expands the reader’s understanding of life and work during the pandemic but also serves as a cleansing and therapeutic salve to those battered by the lockdowns and other pandemic-related restrictions and challenges.”

Colin B. Picker, Professor of Law and Executive Dean, Faculty of Business and Law, University of Wollongong, Australia, and Co-Founder of the Society of International Economic Law

“With COVID-19 we lived through one of the most extensive societal disruptions ever. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of how our social systems responded. It is a treasure box of insights about the adaptation of society to humanity.”

Robert E. Quinn, Professor Emeritus of Management and Organizations, Ross School of Business University of Michigan, USA

“Social Structure Adaptation to COVID-19: Impact on Humanity is a timely exploration of the far-reaching effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our global society. This thought-provoking book brings together a diverse group of 27 essayists who provide unique perspectives on how social systems have adapted and responded to COVID-19. The book offers valuable insights into societies’ resilience and transformative power through its comprehensive analysis of key areas such as hybrid work, virtual learning, big data, and mass communication. A must-read for scholars, policymakers, and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the pandemic’s impact on our social structures.”

Swaroop Sampat Rawal, Visiting faculty, Sardar Patel University, India, and Academic Council Member, Rishihood University, India 

“This book exposes the COVID-19 experience felt around the world from 2020 to 2023. COVID-19 impacted the way societies survived the pandemic, taking into account four fundamental aspects: social relations; government capacity to respond; labor force and economy; and culture. It is clear to me that the pandemic placed us in a trial-and-error, leaving with us the lesson that we must be agile and flexible when facing change. This book serves as a reflection point for society to make better decisions and take actions when meeting future crises.”

Grace Ximena Villanueva-Paredes, Professor in the Faculty of Economic-Administrative Sciences, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Peru

“Social Structure Adaptation to COVID-19: Impact on Humanity is perhaps the most comprehensive book I can imagine that compiles many individual experiences and reflections from different corners of the world during the pandemic. The essayists, from different walks of life and ages, bring with them unique perspectives in sharing personal views about the pandemic, ranging from uncertainty, solitude, global citizenship, individual liberty versus collective responsibility, to the role and accountability of public institutions. This book is worth reading by anyone who wishes to know more about the societal and transformative impacts of the pandemic on everyone in the world.”

Nurina Widagdo, International development practitioner, based in Indonesia, with experience working with the United Nations and major government and nongovernment organizations

“Suresh Nanwani and William Loxley provide a multidisciplinary effort by various contributors on how COVID-19 affected societal functions, and how the resulting challenges and changes will make society more complex. This book is a delightful guide of useful and important information for those of us who want to know the sociological influences of the pandemic.”

Jiejin Zhu, Professor of International Studies, School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University, China