The MENA Region and COVID-19

Abstract

Focusing on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, which comprises some of the world's richest countries next to some of the poorest, this book offers excellent insights into the discriminatory consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.With a geographic focus on the MENA region, the multidisciplinary case studies collected in this edited volume reveal that the coronavirus's impact patterns are a question of two variables: governance performance and socioeconomic potency. Given the global, unprecedented, complex and systemic nature of COVID-19 -and its long-term implications for societies, governments, international organisations, citizens and corporations -this volume entails a relevance to regions undergoing similar dynamics. Analyses in the book, therefore, have implications for the comparative study of the pandemic and its impact on societies around the globe. Understanding related dynamics and implications, and making use of lessons learned, are a pathway to deal with future similar crises.Questions covered in the volume are relevant to geopolitics, social challenges and the relations between political leaders and citizens as beings embedded in various strategies of communication. The volume will appeal to scholars of international politics, political science, risk or crisis governance, economics and sociology, human rights and security, political communication and public health.Zeina Hobaika is a biochemist, holder of a PhD in Structure, Function and Proteins Engineering from Denis Diderot University and an Executive Diploma in Management and Conduct of Strategic Projects from Sciences Po in Paris. Today, she is an associate professor and serves as the head of department of Life and Earth Sciences-Biochemistry, at the Faculty of Sciences at Saint Joseph University of Beirut. She is also head of the Macromolecules Structure and Interactions Research Team. Her main research interests cover rational drug design to contribute to fighting diseases such as AIDS, cancer and Alzheimer's. Another major project she is working on consists of the management and valorisation of agro-industrial byproducts and waste, for a sustainable future. She has been selected for various national and international prizes and awards. In 2017, she became a member of the prestigious Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities (AGYA). Last, with a large publication record and one patent, Zeina is involved in a variety of projects with the public and private sector.

COVID-19 risk perception and public compliance with preventive measures: Evidence from a multi-wave household survey in the MENA region

“…social distancing, mandatory use of face masks, and repeated handwashing) contributed to the spread of the virus in MENA countries, as well as to the emergence of severer subsequent waves of infection in late 2020 and 2021. This turned many countries into epicentres for viral spread, leading to high mortality rates and damaging social and economic repercussions [4][5][6][7].…”

Resilience in the time of COVID‐19: Lessons learned from Middle East and North Africa small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises

“…Another report by the OECD (2020) focuses on crisis response in several MENA countries and looks at the macroeconomic picture that emerges in these countries in the period following the outbreak. Similarly, a book edited by Hobaika, Möller, and Völkel (2022) explores the social, political, and economic impact of the pandemic on the MENA region. However, these reports differ substantially from the current study in their scope and focus.…”