Global Pandemics and Public Policy: Future Direction

Abstract

The article is based on a study that explored and discussed the impacts of global pandemics on social policy in search of future directions. Global pandemics have been around for many generations affecting populations and causing loss of life every time they occur. It discusses the impacts of pandemics on social policy as countries respond to these in different approaches. Global pandemics have been met with global responses backed by national policies due to the lack of authority on the global health regulating organisations. The problem in the study is that global pandemics expose the shortcomings of the public healthcare management systems in various countries as they lack preparedness to tackle pandemics and respond to the challenges, leading to infringement of social policies by the solutions developed. The research use a qualitative research methodology with a secondary information approach as a method of data collection. The study findings indicate that governments introduced lockdowns which limited the movement of people, affecting income security and led to the provision of social security measures that excluded migrant workers. The study concludes that the preparedness of healthcare systems can reduce the impacts of pandemics on social policy in future. The research recommends the creation of gender-inclusive responses to global pandemics