No abstract

The study investigates the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mobility decisions of international and domestic (Danish) students in Denmark employing a phenomonology research design. The study revealed that some of the study participants’ mobility decisions and future employment prospects were largely impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even those who had their internships abroad confirmed, uncertainties abound whether it will be done remotely or physically. Also, the switching from physical to online classes makes students-students and students-lectures interaction and relationship very challenging resulting in some cases, poor academic performance, loneliness, depression, and mental health problems. Besides, we discovered some positive endorsements towards the Danish government’s handling of the pandemic. Finally, the study proposed for a complete opening of the higher educational institutions and libraries in Denmark for physical teaching and learning to occur, with adherence to the safety protocols.

No abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine some of the reasons why people are skeptical about the COVID-19 vaccination despite assurances from the authorities. In terms of methodological consideration, the study is situated within the qualitative research paradigm. The study adopted interviews and documentary analysis as the main source of data. The themes were generated from the data using the Voyant software, and the empirical discussion based on thematic analysis approach. The study reveals that trust in the COVID-19 vaccines, institutions, and cultural and religious beliefs determines people’s vaccination decisions in a significant manner. The study further highlighted that the quick production and administration of the various COVID-19 vaccines and history of previous epidemics/pandemic’s vaccination programs (such as the side effects of the vaccines) could have made people hesitant towards the COVID-19 vaccination. Furthermore, trust in governments, pharmaceutical companies, and healthcare institutions informs people whether to participate in the COVID-19 pandemic vaccination project. Last but not the least, religious and cultural beliefs have sown seeds of skepticism in people and, ultimately, their COVID-19 vaccination decisions.

In this paper, we examine inequalities in education and labor market spaces in Ghana during the covid-19 pandemic. Methodologically, the paper adopts both qualitative and quantitative research strategies. Using concurrent mixed-sampling methods, 14 in-depth interviews and 122 survey participants were elected from Tamale and Accra. We demonstrate that Ghanaian youth—especially young females were predisposed to losing their jobs and exposed to underemployment amidst the coronavirus pandemic. The paper also established that the adoption of virtual teaching and learning platforms during the pandemic resulted into marked differences in the acquisition of skillsets among youth from rich/urban and poor/rural settings. We found that unequal access to e-learning and internet infrastructure could translate to uneven learning platforms, creating differentials in skills and competencies that will be acquired for the labor market. This could create and heighten inequalities in labor market participation post-pandemic, with youth who had poor access to e-learning platforms experiencing diminishing prospects in future labor market engagements. Among others, we recommend the provision of adequate internet infrastructure for schools patronized by kids from low-income households, and the adoption of programmes that will widen the ICT interface for people from deprived backgrounds to enable them cope with changes occasioned by pandemics to reducing inequality in education and labor market spaces.