Naslov
Childcare policy responses in the COVID-19 pandemic: Unpacking cross-country variation

Autori
Blum, Sonja ; Dobrotić, Ivana

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, neobjavljeni rad, znanstveni

Skup
Annual Conference of the European Group for Public Administration (EGPA)

Mjesto i datum
Online, 03.09.2020

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
COVID-19 ; pandemic ; school closures ; childcare closures ; Europe

Sažetak
From mid-March 2020, childcare services and schools were closed around the globe in the fight of the COVID-19 pandemic. This situation, unprecedented in the history of modern welfare states, brought striking cross-country differences in pandemic childcare- policy responses. They varied particularly in the re-opening phase – both in being more lenient or strict, and in being universal or selective. This article presents a conceptual framework that allows to unpack and classify variations in the design of immediate childcare-policy responses to COVID-19, which became (primarily) driven by public-health-related goals and therefore transverse existing conceptualisations. We argue that specific responses are resulting from a country-specific combination of pandemic prevention strategy (either focused on high-risk groups or the whole population), and childcare-related policy concerns (e.g. educational goals, or work-family reconciliation). The distinct childcare-policy responses are then developed, and empirically illustrated on the basis of data collected for 28 European countries. This provides a basis for future research into the cross- country variation of responses, as well as gender and social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Sociologija, Socijalne djelatnosti

POVEZANOST RADA