Impact of COVID-19 on Social Policy: A Literature Review in the Social and Human Sciences

Abstract

COVID-19 has paralysed many countries' social and economic lives. COVID-19 has pushed the world towards drastic social distancing and sterilisation measures to limit the spread and impact of the infection. However, it remains unclear what the longterm physical, psychological, socio-economic, and political decisions will be and their consequences. Scientists today have a great responsibility to study this period. Therefore, expert data contributes to the individual and collective development of citizens. The analytical method used in this study involved a theoretical analysis of publications on social and human sciences from the Scopus database, mainly focusing on the year 2020, to develop a framework for understanding the societal repercussions of the pandemic. The study defines a wide range of social consequences and effects of COVID-19, shows the impact pandemic on education in the context of social policy, establishes the socio-political and economic consequences of COVID-19, and substantiates psychological reactions to COVID-19. A review of the literature can help determine the impact of COVID-19 on social policy. Based on the analysis of the papers, it can be concluded that COVID-19 has increased inequality, widened the gap between the rich and the poor, and threatened the stability of society in low-income countries.