Abstract
Responses to COVID-19 have exposed a widening gap between the cities, counties, state, and Federal ability to address the crisis. The issues of Federalism and the role of local government in protecting communities have placed an additional burden on local resources. Cities and counties are left to plan and fend on their own the negative effects of crisis from quarantines to reopening. Applying the quadruple bottom line approach to understanding resilience with a renewed focus on economic, social, and governance factors of sustainability, the authors analyze the current state of response to the pandemic by Northwest Florida counties and cities. The key research question is to evaluate the effectiveness of local programs and policies on the pandemic. The methodology includes interviews with a purposely select number of elected and appointed officials. Coupled with interviews, the analysis is enhanced with a review of relevant policies in place to address the disparate impact on vulnerable segments of the population, documents programs to support the homeless population during the pandemic, addressing the effects of the pandemic on the low-income populations. The results show a variety of approaches and effects on vulnerable segments of communities.
Presenters
Haris AlibašićAssociate Professor, Public Administration, University of West Florida, Florida, United States William Crawley
Professor, University of West Florida, Florida, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Public Policies, COVID-19, Resilience, Sustainability
