The implications of globalization on COVID-19 vaccination in Europe

Abstract

Although globalization has left its mark on economic dynamism, causing conditionalities among various aspects (market openness, production networks, technological and information developments, migratory flows, international cooperation, humanitarian support, etc.), the less pleasant side of it should not be omitted, i.e. the emergence of the framework for the faster diffusion of epidemiological diseases. Thus, with the onset of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, its widespread circulation is a serious challenge for the provision of efficient solutions to combat it, especially in countries with fragile health systems, poor institutional quality and lack of resources. In this paper we aim to investigate the implications of globalization on the COVID-19 vaccination of the population. The period under analysis is January 1, 2021–January 1, 2022, using montly data, and the object of our study are 48 European states. To capture the relationship between globalization and the vaccination rate, we applied regression models, including a number of factors that may influence the progress of vaccination. In order to test the robustness of the results, the two-stage least squares (2SLS) regressions was used. The regression models developed underlined that globalization impacts the degree of vaccination. More globalized economies are more competitive in COVID-19 management, and the significance of this effect comes from better interconnection in global markets and easier access to medical discoveries. At the same time, countries with a higher vaccination rate are associated with higher levels of development. Based on the results obtained, we proposed some policy recommendations to increase the propensity to vaccinate, ensure equity in the distribution of vaccines and provide financial support to developing countries.

Does education influence COVID-19 vaccination? A global view

“…Once the pandemic started, we have been concerned with finding out the consequences of certain components (e.g., globalization, governance) on COVID-19 vaccination [ 81 , 82 ], and this time we focused on education, thus, expanding the analysis framework. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be over, the topic related to vaccination still arouses interest, considering that humanity will face various challenges over time, including sanitary ones, and the lessons from the past and present can be useful in the management of upcoming crises.…”

COVID-19 vaccination and governance in the case of low, middle and high-income countries

“…The actionable tools are shaped, most of the times, by the available resources, but also by the capacity of institutions to address suitable measures to monitor the progress made in terms of recovery and to raise awareness regarding the severity of a pandemic. Since the outbreak of this health crisis, we have tried, in various works, to deal with this topic dynamically, in order to emphasize the way in which COVID-19 spreads over the nations as a whole, as well as its intricate impact [ 95 , 96 ]. This time, our focus was on the relationship between COVID-19 vaccination and governance.…”

Influence of Seasonality and Public-Health Interventions on the COVID-19 Pandemic in Northern Europe

“…Once these groups had been offered the opportunity, vaccination was sequentially expanded to successively younger generations, so that by mid-2021, the opportunity to receive the vaccine was available for all adults. This was maybe in contrast to other lowerincome European countries that were not as fast with vaccine roll-out [100] or even other medium-to low-income nations where the availability of vaccines was limited [101,102]. Vaccination programs targeting children and young adults did not begin until late 2021.…”