ABSTRACT

Hawksley and Georgeou bring together scholars and practitioners from across the region to analyse the main effects of the first two years of the COVID pandemic in a range of case studies from Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and Oceania.

The book provides a broad survey of how Indonesia, Bangladesh, Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Nepal, Australia, Cambodia, Taiwan, and New Zealand attempted to manage the COVID pandemic; the challenges they faced; and how they fared. Drawing on insights from politics, economics, sociology, law, public health, education, and geography, most authors are nationals of the cases they discuss. Written in non-specialist language, ten case studies are examined, providing a useful analysis of the first two years of COVID in the Asia-Pacific from the emergence of COVID in January 2020 to the lifting of restrictions in December 2021. Chapters focus on different issues according to the scholar’s academic expertise, and a wide diversity of national pandemic experiences, challenges, and responses are showcased.

An essential read for scholars and students interested in the areas of Asia-Pacific politics, sociology, and public health.

chapter 2|22 pages

Indonesia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic

From herbal cure-alls to a science-based response

chapter 4|27 pages

Japan

Moralised politics in countering COVID-19

chapter 6|15 pages

Vietnam

COVID-19 in Vietnam

chapter 7|14 pages

Nepal

Pandemic and unusual state response

chapter 8|26 pages

Australia and COVID-19

Cracks in the commonwealth

chapter 9|20 pages

Taiwan

How COVID-19 sharpens Taiwanese identity

chapter 10|19 pages

Cambodia

The thin line between development and human rights during COVID-19

chapter 11|16 pages

Aotearoa New Zealand

Is the grass really greener here? Social, political, and cultural implications of COVID-19 in New Zealand

chapter 12|5 pages

Conclusion