Search Results (1,368)

The COVID-19 pandemic was a profoundly influential global occurrence in recent history, impacting daily life, economics, and healthcare systems for an extended period. The abundance of data has been essential in creating models to simulate and forecast the dissemination of infectious illnesses, aiding governments and health organizations in making educated decisions. This research primarily focuses on designing a control technique that incorporates the five most important inputs that impact the spread of COVID-19 on the Romanian territory. Quantitative analysis and data filtering are two crucial aspects to consider when developing a mathematical model. In this study the transfer function principle was used as the most accurate method for modeling the system, based on its superior fit demonstrated in a previous study. For the control strategy, a PI (Proportional-Integral) controller was designed to meet the requirements of the intended behavior. Finally, it is showed that for such complex models, the chosen control strategy, combined with fine tuning, led to very accurate results. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered unprecedented economic disruptions, raising critical questions about the resilience and adaptability of macroeconomic productivity across countries. This study examines the impact of COVID-19 on macroeconomic efficiency and productivity dynamics in 37 OECD countries using quarterly data from 2018Q1 to 2024Q4. By employing a Slack-Based Measure Data Envelopment Analysis (SBM-DEA) and the Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI), we decompose total factor productivity (TFP) into efficiency change (EC) and technological change (TC) across three periods: pre-pandemic, during-pandemic, and post-pandemic. Our framework incorporates both desirable (GDP) and undesirable outputs (inflation, unemployment, housing price inflation, and interest rate distortions), offering a multidimensional view of macroeconomic efficiency. Results show broad but uneven productivity gains, with technological progress proving more resilient than efficiency during the pandemic. Post-COVID recovery trajectories diverged, reflecting differences in structural adaptability and innovation capacity. Regression analysis reveals that stringent lockdowns in 2020 were associated with lower productivity in 2023–2024, while more adaptive policies in 2021 supported long-term technological gains. These findings highlight the importance of aligning crisis response with forward-looking economic strategies and demonstrate the value of DEA-based methods for evaluating macroeconomic performance beyond GDP. Full article

Achieving sustainable development goals remains a core issue in global development. In response, China has proposed the development of new quality productive forces (NQPFs) through innovative thinking, emphasizing that fostering NQPFs is both an intrinsic requirement and a pivotal focus for advancing high-quality development. Concurrently, the intelligent transformation of the manufacturing sector serves as a critical direction for China’s economic restructuring and upgrading. This paper places “new quality productive forces” and “intelligent transformation of manufacturing” within the same analytical framework. Starting from the logical chain of “new quality productive forces—three major mechanisms—intelligent transformation of manufacturing,” it concretizes the value implications of new quality productive forces into a systematic conceptual framework driven by the synergistic interaction of three major mechanisms: the mechanism of revolutionary technological breakthroughs, the mechanism of innovative allocation of production factors, and the mechanism of deep industrial transformation and upgrading. This study constructs a “3322” evaluation index system for NQPFs, based on three formative processes, three driving forces, two supporting systems, and two-dimensional characteristics. Simultaneously, it builds an evaluation index system for the intelligent transformation of manufacturing, encompassing intelligent technology, intelligent applications, and intelligent benefits. Using national time-series data from 2012 to 2023, this study assesses the development levels of both NQPFs and the intelligent transformation of manufacturing during this period. The study further analyzes the impact of NQPFs on the intelligent transformation of the manufacturing sector. The research results indicate the following: (1) NQPFs drive the intelligent transformation of the manufacturing industry through the three mechanisms of innovative allocation of production factors, revolutionary breakthroughs in technology, and deep transformation and upgrading of industries. (2) The development of NQPFs exhibits a slow upward trend; however, the outbreak of the pandemic and Sino-US trade frictions have caused significant disruptions to the development of new-type productive forces. (3) The level of intelligent manufacturing continues to improve; however, from 2020 to 2023, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and Sino-US trade conflicts, the level of intelligent benefits has slightly declined. (4) NQPFs exert a powerful driving force on the intelligent transformation of manufacturing, exerting a significant positive impact on intelligent technology, intelligent applications, and intelligent efficiency levels. Full article

Background/Objectives: In late 2019, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused a pandemic called the ‘coronavirus disease 2019’ (COVID-19). After the acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, many individuals (up to 33%) complained of unexplained symptoms involving multiple organ systems and were diagnosed as having Long COVID-19 (LC-19). Currently, LC-19 is inadequately defined, requiring the formation of consistent diagnostic parameters to provide a foundation for ongoing and future studies of epidemiology, risk factors, clinical characteristics, and therapy. LC-19 represents a significant burden on multiple levels. The reduced ability of workers to return to work or compromised work efficiency has led to consequences at national, economic, and societal levels by increasing dependence on community services. On a personal scale, the isolation and helplessness caused by the disease and its subsequent impact on the patient’s mental health and quality of life are incalculable. Methods: In this paper, we used Walker and Avants’ eight-step approach to perform a concept analysis of the term “Long COVID-19” and define its impact across these parameters. Results: Using this methodology, we provide an improved definition of LC-19 by connecting the clinical symptomology with previously under-addressed factors, such as mental, psychological, economic, and social effects. This definition of LC-19 features can help improve diagnostic procedures and help plan relevant healthcare services. Conclusions: LC-19 represents a complex and pressing public health challenge with diverse symptomology, an unpredictable timeline, and complex pathophysiology. This concept analysis serves as a tool for improving LC-19 definition, but it remains a dynamic disease with evolving diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, requiring deeper investigation and understanding of its long-term effects. Full article

Food security is defined as a state in which all people at all times have both physical and economic access to sufficient food to meet their dietary needs for a productive and healthy life. The general objective of this work was to assess the situation of food insecurity and its impact on the quantity and quality of food consumption during lockdown in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify the determinants associated with the different food insecurity (FI) categories on a sample of 2227 people (1168 people from Spain and 1059 people from Morocco). Food insecurity (FI) assessed by the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) were compared in both countries, controlling for the effect of sociodemographic variables, age, gender, marital status, and education level. The mean HFIAS was 0.53 in the Spanish and 3.55 in the Moroccan samples (p < 0.001). Only 2.1% of the Spanish sample were in a situation of severe insecurity against 15.5% in Morocco (p < 0.001). Moroccans with moderate and severe food insecurity decreased their consumption of meat, fish, eggs, nuts, legumes, and fruits. The risk of food insecurity was higher in men than in women, in separated or divorced people, in people with secondary and middle education, and in younger people. Full article

This paper investigates the impact of the transition from manufacturing to tourism on sectoral productivity, output prices, and labor costs. Using panel data econometric models for 15 selected EU countries from 2011 to 2023, the study confirms key dynamics predicted by Baumol’s cost disease (BCD) hypothesis. The findings reveal that higher productivity is positively associated with both implied prices and hourly labor costs across sectors, supporting the wage equalization mechanism central to BCD. However, the relationship between productivity and wages or prices is weaker in labor-intensive sectors like tourism, underscoring their structural vulnerability to wage-driven cost pressures. Additionally, the analysis captures the impact of major external shocks, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russo–Ukrainian war, treated as jointly sourced super-shocks. The regression results indicate significant price disruptions following these shocks, whereas no statistically significant trend in labor costs was detected in the post-treatment period. These results highlight the differential effects of external shocks on wages versus prices, emphasizing the challenges faced by low-productivity, labor-intensive sectors in managing cost dynamics. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers addressing sectoral imbalances in the context of BCD and navigating the economic consequences of global disruptions. Full article

The 100-Day Mission, coordinated by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and endorsed by significant international stakeholders, aims to shorten the timeframe for developing and implementing vaccines to 100 days after the report of a new pathogen. This ambitious goal is outlined as an essential first step in improving pandemic preparedness worldwide. This review highlights the mission’s implementation potential and challenges by examining it through the lens of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which often face barriers to equitable vaccine access. This article explores the scientific, economic, political, and social aspects that could influence the mission’s success, relying on lessons learned from previous pandemics, such as the Spanish flu, H1N1, and COVID-19. We also examined important cornerstones like prototype vaccine libraries, accelerated clinical trial preparedness, early biomarkers identification, scalable manufacturing capabilities, and rapid pathogen characterization. The review also explores the World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Agreement and the significance of Phase 4 surveillance in ensuring vaccine safety. We additionally evaluate societal issues that disproportionately impact LMICs, like vaccine reluctance, health literacy gaps, and digital access limitations. Without intentional attempts to incorporate under-resourced regions into global preparedness frameworks, we argue that the 100-Day Mission carries the risk of exacerbating already-existing disparities. Ultimately, our analysis emphasizes that success will not only rely on a scientific innovation but also on sustained international collaboration, transparent governance, and equitable funding that prioritizes inclusion from the beginning. Full article

The contagious COVID-19 disease not only brought about a global health crisis but also a disruption in the global economy. The uncertainty levels regarding the impact of the disease increased volatility. This study analyses stock market volatility and Economic Policy Uncertainty (EPU) of South Africa (SA) with that of the United States of America (USA) and Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aims to analyse volatility spillovers from a developed market (USA) to emerging markets (BRIC countries) and also to examine the causality between EPU and stock returns during the COVID-19 pandemic. By employing the GARCH-in-Mean model from a sample of daily returns of national equity market indices from 1 January 2020 to 31 March 2022, SA and China are shown to be the most volatile during the pandemic. By using the diagonal Baba, Engle, Kraft, and Kroner (BEKK) model to analyse spillover effects, evidence of spillover effects from the US to the emerging countries is small but statistically significant, with SA showing the strongest impact from US market shocks. From the Granger causality test, Brazil’s and India’s equity markets are shown to be highly sensitive to changes in EPU relative to the other countries. Full article

Zoonotic diseases are transmitted from animals to humans, and they impose a significant global burden by impacting both animal and human health. It can lead to substantial economic losses and cause millions of human deaths. The emergence and re-emergence of zoonotic diseases are heavily influenced by both anthropogenic and natural drivers such as climate change, rapid urbanization, and widespread travel. Over time, the unprecedented rise of new and re-emerging zoonotic diseases has prompted the need for rapid and effective vaccine development. Following the success of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, mRNA-based platforms hold great promise due to their rapid design, swift development and ability to elicit robust immune responses, thereby highlighting their potential in combating emerging and pre-pandemic zoonotic viruses. In recent years, several mRNA vaccines targeting emerging and re-emerging zoonotic viral diseases, such as rabies, Nipah, Zika, and influenza, have advanced to clinical trials, demonstrating promising immunogenicity. This review explores recent advances, challenges, and future directions in developing mRNA vaccines against emerging and re-emerging zoonotic viral diseases. Full article

While interest in indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in Latin American housing has been growing over the past decade, the COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted its critical importance due to increased residential occupancy time, exposure to indoor pollutants, and their implications for health. Recognising the climatic, cultural, infrastructural, and socio-economic diversity of the region, this study presents a bibliometric review of research and policy advances with the aim of examining progress towards effective pathways for sustainable housing, focusing on the integrated vision of energy efficiency, IEQ, and regulations as the key thematic axes. This review, conducted using the Scopus database, synthesises findings, methodological practices, and policy developments from 2013 to 2023. Based on the qualitative thematic analysis of studies included in the narrative synthesis, the results reveal that energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality frameworks in the region are still insufficient and fragmented, hindering improvements in residential energy efficiency and thermal comfort, particularly in low-income housing. This study underscores the urgent need for updated public policies with the explicit incorporation of IEQ and health indicators, stronger enforcement of energy efficiency and building regulations, and the improved dissemination of IEQ benefits to promote sustainable governance. Further research on evaluating the long-term impacts of implemented policies and interventions in public health is also essential to address ongoing social, political, and environmental challenges in the region. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted higher education worldwide, imposing strict isolation measures, transitioning learning online, and exacerbating existing social and economic inequalities. This literature review examines the pandemic’s impact on the mental health of college students, with a focus on those belonging to minority groups, including racial, ethnic, migrant, gender, sexuality-based, and low-income populations. While elevated levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness were observed across all students, findings indicate that LGBTQ+ and low-income students faced the highest levels of psychological distress, due to compounded stressors such as family rejection, unsafe home environments, and financial insecurity. Racial and ethnic minority students reported increased experiences of discrimination and reduced access to culturally competent mental healthcare. International and migrant students were disproportionately affected by travel restrictions, legal uncertainties, and social disconnection. These disparities underscore the need for higher education institutions to implement targeted, inclusive mental health policies that account for the unique needs of at-risk student populations during health crises. Full article

Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on racialized communities and individuals in Canada. Methods: This review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and the PRISMA-ScR guidance on reporting scoping reviews. Ovid MEDLINE ALL, Embase Classic + Embase, CINAHL (Ebsco platform), PsycINFO, and Cochrane were searched for documents that were published after March 2020 and that reported on the social and economic impacts and health outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic on generally healthy racialized populations that reside in Canada. Synthesis: A total of 39 documents were included in this review. Our results show racialized communities faced greater social, economic, and health impacts from the pandemic. These impacts were manifested in the form of high COVID-19 morbidity and mortality rates, increased discrimination, worsening mental health, difficulty in accessing healthcare, and challenges related to accessing food and basic necessities. Conclusion: Canadian racialized groups have been inequitably affected by the COVID-19 pandemic due to pre-existing inequalities and emerging discrimination. Responsive policy action and robust pandemic preparedness efforts are indispensable in adopting a proactive stance to prevent racialized populations from bearing a disproportionate burden of negative health crises in the future. This necessitates addressing pre-existing disparities and targeting social and economic vulnerability areas. By doing so, we can mitigate the reported social, economic, and health impacts experienced by racialized groups, including challenges related to accessing basic necessities, deteriorating mental health, and barriers to healthcare access. Full article

This study aims to analyze the determinants of bank profitability in Angola by employing panel data econometric models, specifically, the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM), to assess the impact of internal and external factors on the financial indicators ROE, ROA, and NIM for the period 2016 to 2023. The results reveal that credit risk, operational efficiency, and liquidity are critical determinants of banking performance. Effective credit risk management and cost optimization are essential for the sector’s stability. Banking concentration presents mixed effects, enhancing net interest income while potentially undermining efficiency. Economic growth supports profitability, whereas inflation exerts a negative influence. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened asset quality, increased credit risk, and led to a rise in non-performing loans and provisions. Reforms implemented by the National Bank of Angola have contributed to strengthening the banking system’s resilience through restructuring and regulatory improvements. The rise of digitalization and fintech presents opportunities to enhance financial inclusion and efficiency, although their success relies on advancing financial literacy. This study contributes to the literature by providing updated empirical evidence on the factors influencing bank profitability within an emerging economy’s distinctive institutional and economic context. Full article

This paper investigates the spillover effects and transmission networks of systemic risk within China’s national economic sectors under extreme conditions from both time and frequency domain perspectives, building upon the spillover index methodology and calculating the ∆CoVaR index for Chinese industries. The findings indicate the following: (1) Extreme-risk spillovers synchronize across industries but exhibit pronounced time-varying peaks during the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, the 2015 crash, and the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) Long-term spillovers dominate overall connectedness, highlighting the lasting impact of fundamentals and structural linkages. (3) In terms of risk volatility, Energy, Materials, Consumer Discretionary, and Financials are most sensitive to systemic market shocks. (4) On the risk spillover effect, Consumer Discretionary, Industrials, Healthcare, and Information Technology consistently act as net transmitters of extreme risk, while Energy, Materials, Consumer Staples, Financials, Telecom Services, Utilities, and Real Estate primarily serve as net receivers. Based on these findings, the paper suggests deepening the regulatory mechanisms for systemic risk, strengthening the synergistic effect of systemic risk measurement and early warning indicators, and coordinating risk monitoring, early warning, and risk prevention and mitigation. It further emphasizes the importance of avoiding fragmented regulation by establishing a joint risk prevention mechanism across sectors and departments, strengthening the supervision of inter-industry capital flows. Finally, it highlights the need to closely monitor the formation mechanisms and transmission paths of new financial risks under the influence of the pandemic to prevent the accumulation and eruption of risks in the post-pandemic era. Authorities must conduct annual “Industry Transmission Reviews” to map emerging risk nodes and supply-chain vulnerabilities, refine policy tools, and stabilize market expectations so as to forestall the build-up and sudden release of new systemic shocks. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a profound interruption in the way people travel and has had a very negative impact on tourism and economics throughout the world, especially on the coastal fishing communities in South Korea. These previously problematic areas, having suffered a decrease in the local population as well as stood in the midst of the economic downturn, experienced a great cut in the number of tourists coming from far away, which additionally caused their collapse of resilience and sustainability. This research investigates the recovery trends of 45 seashore-fishing districts in South Korea and how the change in travel distance and the number of visitors before and after the pandemic have affected these trends. Through the utilization of big data from the Korea Tourism Data Lab (2019–2023) and Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis, we observe the changes in visitor flows, use the indices of resilience as an indicator to measure them, and investigate how proximity affects travel recovery. The survey results indicate that the regions neighboring metropolitan zones were not only the ones that suffered the most from travel distance during the pandemic but also experienced quick recovery after the pandemic. The new promotional campaigns, in tandem with an improved network of transportation, contributed to the swift recovery of these areas. The remote areas, on the other hand, persist in fighting the problems of regionalized tourism and have only limited accessibility. The proposition of “distance-dependent resilience” theory as well as the Blue Urbanism framework is offered in order to bring up the ideas of sustainable tourism and population stabilization. The study is expected to serve as a cornerstone for the practice of adaptive governance and strategic planning in the matter of the coastal areas after the pandemic. Full article