Naslov
‘Sorry, we’re closed’: a fuzzy-set ideal-type analysis of pandemic childcare-policy responses in 28 European countries

Autori
Dobrotić, Ivana ; Blum, Sonja

Izvornik
European Journal of Politics and Gender (2515-1088) 6 (2023), 2; 1-37

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
fuzzy-set ideal-type analysis ; COVID-19 ; early childhood education and care ; school closures ; policy responses

Sažetak
Based on an original data set of early childhood education and care/school closures and reopenings, this article presents a fuzzy-set ideal-type analysis of pandemic childcare-policy responses in 28 European countries and explores the complex empirical variety of these policies across Europe. The analysis shows that European countries cluster into five models, comprising not only the opposite poles of strict closures (public-health approach) or absence of closures (high-risk approach) but also more ‘mixed’ approaches prioritising early childhood education and care/schools’ educational (educational approach) or work–care functions (lenient work–care approach or strict work–care approach). A few countries’ poor fit within these approaches indicates struggles in balancing different, often contradictory, policy goals during COVID-19. The findings reflect how (continued) provision of early childhood education and care/schools became a highly contested issue, especially as the pandemic evolved and public- health concerns were increasingly weighted against the implications for work–care balance and educational outcomes.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Sociologija, Socijalne djelatnosti, Rodni studiji

POVEZANOST RADA