This research presents implications of the global pandemic on local government resiliency in the United States. We explore insights from local government officials and managers at the frontlines of response and recovery efforts to the biological natural disaster. Also, findings from the latest nationwide survey of U.S. local governments regarding their preparedness for weather-related natural disasters informs responses to the current crisis. Results indicate that local governments are innovating and taking strategic actions to fight the virus. This, even though COVID-19 has exposed social inequities exacerbated as the virus spreads. Survey findings of disaster readiness of local governments to weather-related disasters shows that small, resource poor governments will not be able to respond well, and social inequities will grow. Policy strategies at all levels of government must recognize and account for these inequities as threat of this virus subsides, to support stronger, more effective readiness for the next biological catastrophe. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/puar.13249

Disaster resiliency of U.S. local governments: Insights to strengthen local response and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: This study aims to contribute to the extant literature on logistics by investigating the interrelationship between the financial performance of listed logistics firms and the COVID-19 and compare the logistics firms’ financial performance of G-20 countries during the pandemic period. Design/methodology/approach: To conduct the confirmatory analysis by testing the hypotheses formulated for this study, data have been collected from Bloomberg of all logistics firms from G-20 countries. This paper gathered the first quarter from 2010 until the last quarter of 2020 as the research sample to examine the pandemic impact on financial performance. Findings: The results show that the financial performance of logistic firms was significantly higher during 2020. Overall, the country-wise findings corroborated with the main results and the financial performance of 14 countries’ logistic firms out of 20 ones analysed has been significantly elevated, during the pandemic period. However, this paper has found out a negative financial performance of the logistics firms during the COVID-19 period in six countries (Germany, Korea, Russia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and the UK), which support the second proposition. Research limitations/implications: The study’s results were important as they highlighted the role of logistics firms in offering insights to academics, practitioners, policymakers and logistic firms’ stakeholders. For future research, this paper suggests including some other variables that might influence firm performance and that have not been considered in this study, which is a limitation, and going more deeply into the logistics sector by comparing the financial performance of the sub-sectors. Practical implications: As the importance of logistics services during the pandemic period is relevant, this study may provide significant insights because the logistics firms play a crucial role by anticipating to ensure the supply of essential items such as food, medicine, then supporting for the continuity of supply chains. The view of finance impacts during the pandemic may provide insightful perspectives for logistics companies, allowing them to understand those impacts and better prepare for likely disruption events such COVID-19 pandemic. Originality/value: This paper is novel considering that it is unique in evaluating logistics firms’ financial performance from a global perspective, considering the context of this historical pandemic. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Impact of COVID-19 on financial performance of logistics firms: evidence from G-20 countries

Like the rest of the world, African countries are reeling from the health, economic and social effects of COVID-19. The continent’s governments have responded by imposing rigorous lockdowns to limit the spread of the virus. The various lockdown measures are undermining food security, because stay at home orders have among others, threatened food production for a continent that relies heavily on agriculture as the bedrock of the economy. This article draws on quantitative data collected by the GeoPoll, and, from these data, assesses the effect of concern about the local spread and economic impact of COVID-19 on food worries. Qualitative data comprising 12 countries south of the Sahara reveal that lockdowns have created anxiety over food security as a health, economic and human rights/well-being issue. By applying a probit model, we find that concern about the local spread of COVID-19 and economic impact of the virus increases the probability of food worries. Governments have responded with various efforts to support the neediest. By evaluating the various policies rolled out we advocate for a feminist economics approach that necessitates greater use of data analytics to predict the likely impacts of intended regulatory relief responses during the recovery process and post-COVID-19.

/pdf/covid-19-from-health-crises-to-food-security-anxiety-and-1ocmuz1tp9.pdf

COVID-19: From health crises to food security anxiety and policy implications.

COVID-19 is exposing a nexus between communities disproportionately suffering from underlying health conditions, policy-reinforced disparities, and susceptibility to the disease. As the virus spreads, policy responses will need to shift from focusing on surveillance and mitigation to recovery and prevention. Local governments, with their histories of mutual aid and familiarity with local communities, are capable of meeting these challenges. However, funding must flow in a flexible enough fashion for local governments to tailor their efforts to preserve vital services and rebuild local economies. We argue in this article that the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) programs are mechanisms for how to provide funds in a manner adaptable to local context while also focusing on increasing social equity. Administrators must emphasize the fourth pillar of public administration -- social equity -- in framing government responses to the pandemic.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/puar.13257

How Can Local Governments Address Pandemic Inequities

If the COVID-19 pandemic has already taught us anything, it is that policymakers, experts and public managers need to be capable of interpreting comparative data on their government's performance in a meaningful way. Simultaneously, they are confronted with different data sources (and measurements) surrounding COVID-19 without necessarily having the tools to assess these sources strategically. Due to the speed with which decisions are required and the different data sources, it can be challenging for any policymaker, expert or public manager to make sense of how COVID-19 has an impact, especially from a comparative perspective. Starting from the question "How can we benchmark COVID-19 performance data across countries?", this article presents important indicators, measurements, and their strengths and weaknesses, and concludes with practical recommendations. These include a focus on measurement equivalence, systems thinking, spatial and temporal thinking, multilevel governance and multimethod designs. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

A Guide to Benchmarking COVID-19 Performance Data.

The rate of expansion and breadth of COVID-19 caught the world by surprise. From the perspective of nonprofit and public entities responsible for service provision, this pandemic is also unprecedented. We offer a RISE framework for navigating the fiscal effects of COVID-19 and rely on recent surveys to assess local governments' and nonprofit organizations' response strategies. We find that many nonprofits were hit the fastest and hardest by the pandemic and that local governments are, essentially, trying to figure out their financial condition moving into the next budget cycle.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/puar.13238

Fiscal Responses to COVID-19: Evidence from Local Governments and Nonprofits

This study examined how the catch-up provision – a tax-deferral incentive – impacts total retirement saving and household saving strategies. Using the Survey of Consumer Finance from 2004 to 2016, ...

Trang Hoang

Papers

Fiscal Responses to COVID-19: Evidence from Local Governments and Nonprofits

Tax incentive and household saving strategy: A regression discontinuity approach to catch-up contributions