Post-Pandemic Social Resilience: A Qualitative Review of International and National Policy Frameworks
Keywords:
Governance, Policy discourse, Post-pandemic recovery, Social resilience, Sustainability.Abstract
This study examines how post-pandemic social resilience is constructed across international and national policy frameworks using a qualitative interpretive review. Drawing on policy documents and scholarly analyses published between 2020 and 2025, the research applies comparative discourse analysis to identify how resilience is defined, institutionalized, and translated into governance priorities. The findings show that international frameworks frame resilience as systemic transformation linking sustainability, social equity, and institutional learning, whereas national policies tend to operationalize it as administrative stabilization focused on economic recovery and service continuity. The analysis further reveals that policy effectiveness depends on the interaction between governance instruments, social infrastructures, and organizational adaptability, with fragmented approaches often reinforcing existing inequalities. By conceptualizing resilience as a relational governance discourse rather than a measurable endpoint, the study contributes to social development theory and demonstrates the analytical value of policy narrative comparison for understanding post-crisis transformation. The article offers methodological insight for qualitative policy research and highlights the importance of integrated welfare, digital governance, and psychosocial support in shaping inclusive recovery trajectories across diverse institutional contexts and future crisis preparedness agendas globally.
Downloads
References
Bevilacqua, C., & Pizzimenti, P. (2022, May). Resilient and Transition Strategies for the Post-pandemic City: A Multi-criteria Analytical Approach for the Case of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. In INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM: New Metropolitan Perspectives (pp. 147-174). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Chioma, O. S., & Ikechukwu, N. C. (2026). Social Capital and Educational Resilience among University Students in Post-Pandemic Contexts. International Journal of Social Sciences, Language, and Education, 1(1), 18-26.
Conduah, A. K., & Ofoe, S. H. (2025). Intersecting impacts of ageing, migration, and socioeconomic disparities on health equity: a post-pandemic policy review. International Journal for Equity in Health, 24(1), 304.
D’Orazio, P. (2021). Towards a post-pandemic policy framework to manage climate-related financial risks and resilience. Climate Policy, 21(10), 1368-1382.
Daud, R. (2024). Sustainable Digital Technology in Supporting Social Recovery in the Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Era: Political Policy Perspective. International Journal on Advanced Science, Engineering & Information Technology, 14(6).
Dev, K. (2023). GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES ON POST-PANDEMIC WELL-BEING. Health and Wellbeing Post Pandemic, 117.
Fatin, T., & Abd Wahab, S. (2025). A Systematic Review of Social Capital and Resilience in the Post-COVID Era: Implications for Sustainability. Pakistan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 13(3), 64-71.
Goniewicz, K., Khorram-Manesh, A., Burkle, F. M., Hertelendy, A. J., & Goniewicz, M. (2023). The European Union’s post-pandemic strategies for public health, economic recovery, and social resilience. Global Transitions, 5, 201-209.
Hepburn, S., Goitom, M., Idemudia, U., Lamond, C., & Barrie, H. (2024). Sustainable development goals and post-pandemic resilience: lessons from a community-based social service agency. SN Social Sciences, 4(2), 38.
Ianc, C. (2024). Post Pandemic Social and Enviormental Resolutions for Romania-New Challenges and Old Methods in the Race for Poverty End and Planetary Resurgence. Romanian Economic Journal, 27(87), 11-24.
Jones, M. M., Abrams, D., & Lahiri, A. (2020). Shape the Future: how the social sciences, humanities and the arts can SHAPE a positive, post-pandemic future for peoples, economies and environments. Journal of the British Academy, 8, 167-266.
Judi, T. E., & Kurniawan, D. (2024). Public policy and organizational resilience: Leadership, innovation, and sustainability in the post-pandemic era. Manajemen dan Bisnis, 23(1), 197-212.
Kudumula, R. (2025). Resilience and Recovery: Human Behavioral Adaptations in Post-Pandemic Social Development. International Journal of Human Research and Social Development p-ISSN 3051-0953 e-ISSN 3051-0961, 1(01), 30-36.
Lu, S., & Chan, W. K. (2024). Understanding organizational resilience of care homes for older people during COVID-19 in China: a qualitative study with post-pandemic policy implications. Journal of Aging & Social Policy, 36(6), 1432-1451.
Magorokosho, N. K. (2025). Evaluation of Resilience and Mental Health in the Post-Pandemic Era among University Students (Doctoral dissertation, European University of Cyprus (Cyprus)).
Magorokosho, N. K., Heraclides, A., Papaleontiou-Louca, E., & Prodromou, M. (2024). Evaluation of resilience and mental health in the “post-pandemic era” among university students: Protocol for a mixed-methods study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(7), 825.
Nurtina, S. (2025). Post-Pandemic COVID-19 Migration Policy: Adaptation and Resilience in Developing Countries (Case Study: Indonesian Migrant Worker Policy). The Easta Journal Law and Human Rights, 3(03), 198-207.
Ossiannilsson, E. S. (2022). Resilient agile education for lifelong learning post-pandemic to meet the United Nations sustainability goals. Sustainability, 14(16), 10376.
Ottmann, G., & Noble, C. (Eds.). (2023). Post-pandemic welfare and social work: Re-imagining the new normal. Taylor & Francis.
Randa, M. B. (2025). Resilience and Response: Rebuilding Social Support Systems for Survivors of Violence in a Post-Pandemic Era. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND DEVELOPMENT ALTERNATIVES (IPADA), 666.
Rohtash, R. (2025). Post-Pandemic Mental Health: Exploring the Socioeconomic and Cultural Factors. Scholar's Digest: Journal of Humanities & Social Science Studies, 1(1), 17-37.
Romero, J., Mesa, M., Minoli, C., & Aristizabal, J. (2025). Resilience after COVID-19: A global review of recovery strategies and their impact on demographic and economic sectors. Problemy Ekorozwoju, 20(1), 74-95.
Shaikh, A. R. (2024). A systematic approach to analyzing the enablers of post-pandemic supply chain resilience in an emerging economy: a fuzzy AHP approach. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 31(10), 3936-3964.
Shehzad, A., & Khan, K. I. (2025). Impediments of social responsibility investment adoption system: a post-pandemic qualitative analysis. Qualitative Research in Financial Markets, 17(2), 392-414.
Shridhar, S. N. (2025). From Survival to Resilience: Understanding Post-Pandemic Realities, Quality of life and Coping Mechanisms of Informal Workers in India’s Most Backward Region of Karnataka State–A Social Work Perspective. Anusandhanvallari, 1158-1173.
Taheri, S., Shabani, A., Badland, H., Cheshmehzangi, A., & Sharifi, A. (2026). Healthy and resilient cities for future pandemics: a systematic review. Cities & Health, 1-20.
Tran-Nam, B., Le-Van, C., & Nguyen, N. A. (2021). A critical examination of policy objectives and instruments for a sustainable and inclusive post-pandemic recovery. Fulbright Review of Economics and Policy, 1(2), 140-157.
