Hybrid governance in Latin America A case study of the response of Mexican criminal syndicates to the COVID-19 pandemic Wordcount: 20282 International Master in Security Intelligence and Strategic Studies 2409572N 29/07/2021 Abstract In the academia, long dominated by a Western state-centric approach, the idea of the coexistence of different orders of social domination emerged in the nineties. It set the premises for the academic literature on hybrid governance. This research area is very recent and still developing. Hence, the fields of application of this concept in the academic literature are diverse but still too limited. Therefore, this dissertation arises from the consideration that it would be interesting to further investigate the applicability of this under-exploited notion. In particular, it looks at criminal organizations in Latin America through the case study of Mexican drug cartels amid the pandemic. This case presents the key characteristics of hybridity, hence making it a relevant tool to analyze it. The finding of the possibility of the applicability of hybrid governance as an analytical lens to understand Mexican drug cartels during the pandemic suggests the possibility to expand the field of application of this concept. It leads to a broader reflection on hybrid governance schemes with...

Doctor Educationis / President Cyril Ramaphosa first addressed the nation regarding the Covid-19 pandemic on the 15th of March 2020, when he announced the national state of disaster in terms of the Disaster Management Act (DMA) to prevent the rise of Covid-19 infections.1 On the 23rd of March 2020 in his second address, the President announced a national Lockdown, initially for 21 days, and outlined more stringent interventions to limit the transmission of the coronavirus and to mitigate its economic and social impact.2 Since then, there have been at least four sets of directions issued to the provinces and municipalities in terms of the Disaster Management Act, with the first set of directions to provinces and municipalities taking effect on the 25th of March 2020. The purpose of the directions issued to municipalities were to direct municipalities in respect of the following matters in response to Covid-19 namely, the provision of water and sanitation services, hygiene education, communication, and awareness. For the purposes of this research, the word coronavirus will be used interchangeably with Covid-19. The first set of directions titled ‘COGTA COVID-19 Disaster Response Directions 2020’ took effect on the 25th of March 2020.3 The directions stipulated that no council meetings outside the District Command Centre meetings may be undertaken during the initial 21 Day Lockdown period, or any other extended period that may be declared. Since then, there have been amendments to these directions. The directions which commenced on the 3rd of July 2020, as far as local governance is concerned, stated that municipalities and municipal entities could convene council meetings.

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Background: In the healthcare sector, many workers are believed to be “double duty carers” (DDCs) - individuals providing care both at work and home. DDCs often work in paid care work while providing unpaid care to family/friends outside of work. The COVID-19 pandemic places additional stressors on these vulnerable carers. Caring is an emerging global health issue involving the straining of roles due to the pandemic. Informal or unpaid caring is globally known to be a women's health issue given the gendered nature of caring, resulting in women shouldering greater physical, social, and emotional costs. Purpose: The aim of this study was to understand the impact of COVID-19 on DDCs through the perspective of employers and DDCs. The knowledge generated illuminates how the paid and unpaid caring has been affected by the pandemic, what supports, or coping strategies are being utilized by DDCs. Methods: This mixed-methods study comprises two phases; a quantitative survey for employers and qualitative interview for DDCs. The survey investigates how workplace supports have been impacted by the pandemic, while the interview investigates DDCs’ experiences/coping strategies during the pandemic. Finally, triangulation of the data from the two phases will be used to create evidence-based policy recommendations to enhance DDC supports. Results: Healthcare employers were observed to be cognizant of DDCs’ diminishing wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic; yet, less than half supported their carer-employees. DDCs had increased care demands both at work and at home and experienced a lack of access to their usual support system and support services. The data from both phases helped elucidate recommendations and areas of concern for DDC support that can serve as important implications for carer-friendly workplace policies (CFWP). Conclusion: By exploring the intersection of perspectives from employers and DDCs, this study will contribute to evidence-informed guidelines for CFWP during a pandemic. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / The term ‘double duty carer’ (DDC) refers to individuals, often women, that are provide care both at home and at work. DDCs are an important workforce that are vulnerable to negative physical and mental health consequences which are exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the pandemic on DDCs’ caring responsibilities and supports from the perspectives of healthcare employers and DDCs. Findings showed that the COVID-19 pandemic made paid and unpaid caring much more demanding, inflicted poor health consequences upon DDCs and made supports difficult to access. DDCs are experiencing increased role strain and having to invest more hours in paid and unpaid care. The findings of this study can be used to improve DDC support and strengthen the collaborative relationships among healthcare employers and DDCs.

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Performance anxiety affects individuals across many fields, from sports to medicine to music. Research in the area of Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) has been of particular importance to instrumental and vocal soloists and ensemble members for several decades. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many musicians have been required to change the format and location of their performances. These adjustments, as well as musicians' existing unique characteristics and life experiences, may have impacted their experience of MPA. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors on MPA. Participants (N = 251) were recruited online via the Prolific platform, and completed an online survey containing demographic questions, a COVID impacts survey, and measures of individual characteristics (TIPI, NCS-18), mentorship experience (MFQ-9), retrospective state MPA in both 2020 and 2022 (CSAI-2R), and trait MPA (K-MPAI-R). A hierarchical regression was performed to explore if gender, age, musical experience (i.e., number of genres and instruments performed), extraversion, COVID impacts (general and musical), mentorship experience, and cognitive style predicted severity of trait MPA. Age, number of musical instruments performed, and extraversion were found to be significant predictors of trait MPA. Ultimately, this research has aimed to contextualize MPA within a national landscape significantly transformed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Increased mental health difficulties were reported in Canadian children as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Accordingly, the pandemic has impacted families as well. The purpose of this thesis was: 1) to examine fluctuations in children’s mental health symptoms and mindful parenting across the 2020-2021 academic year; 2) to examine whether children’s symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity at the beginning of the 2020-2021 academic year were associated with mindful parenting at the end of the academic year; 3) to examine whether children’s depressive and anxiety symptoms at the end of the year moderated this relationship and; 4) to examine how child age and gender affected these relationships. Parents of 114 young children in a large Canadian city participated in this study in the Fall of 2020 and the Spring of 2021. Parents completed several self-report scales used to measure children’s mental health symptomatology and mindfulness in parenting. While there were no significant changes in children’s mental health symptoms or mindful parenting across the time points, children’s symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity were significantly, negatively associated with mindful parenting across the pandemic year, and children’s depressive symptoms moderated this relationship. Specifically, when children’s depressive symptoms were low or average it was found that higher symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity were associated with lower levels of mindful parenting among parents of young girls. Results may inform practitioners about which families require additional support during the pandemic and beyond.

This dissertation consists of three essays in Health Economics relating to the recent challenges in the U.S. The first essay studies the impact of retirement on subsequent health and investigates the mediation effect of social network in the relationship between retirement and health. Findings reveal that retirement adversely impacts physical and mental health outcomes and a considerable portion of these effects are explained by social network changes post-retirement. In particular, shrinkage in the size of social network post-retirement deteriorates physical health and increases depression in retirees. In the second essay, we assess the differential effect of social distancing on the daily growth rate of COVID-19 infections in the US counties by considering the spatial pattern of COVID-19 spread. We also conduct a comparative analysis of the effect on urban versus rural counties, as well as low versus high socially vulnerable counties. Our analysis illustrates that a high level of social distancing compliance is needed in urban counties and in socially vulnerable areas to achieve the largest impact at curve flattening, whereas moderate-compliance is enough in reaching the peak marginal impact in rural regions and counties with low social vulnerability. In the third essay, by combining multiple data sources, we investigate how racial disparities in access to healthcare contribute to the disparity in COVID-19 infections and mortality in black versus white sub-groups. The multilevel analysis demonstrates that a higher probability of having health insurance significantly reduces disparity in COVID-19 mortality in black sub-group while it has no impact on the disparity in whites. / Doctor of Philosophy / This dissertation uses various quantitative methods to investigate policy-relevant questions regarding the recent challenges in the U.S. economy. In the first chapter, we explore how the physical and mental health of individuals changes by retirement. The results show that retirement decreases physical health while increases depression and anxiety. We also analyze how social network changes after retirement might cause changes in the health of retirees. We find that retirees may experience worse physical and mental health than non-retirees due to losing some of their relationships after retirement. In particular, the loss of contacts increases depression and deteriorates general health. In the second chapter, we investigate how compliance with social distancing within a typical county and its neighbor counties can reduce the spread of COVID-19. We examine this question for urban versus rural counties in the US and socially vulnerable versus socially not vulnerable counties. We find a high compliance level of social distancing is needed in urban counties and in socially vulnerable areas to reach the highest impact at slowing down the COVID-19 virus spread. In the third chapter, we examine whether healthcare access inequalities (e.g., having health insurance) increase the risk of COVID-19 infections and mortality for black communities. Our results show that having health insurance decreases COVID-19 mortality in communities of color but not whites.

The COVID-19 Pandemic exacerbated a multitude of systems in the United States in 2020 up to current day. The structure of non-profit organizations across the country weakened as demands escalated for free food resources with specific pressure placed on food banks and food recovery organizations. There were citizens who had not previously relied on free food services who found themselves in drive through pickups, waiting for pre-packaged food boxes or the occasional you-pick operation to feed their families and themselves. The increase in demand for free food services was reacted to by those leading and directing the free food distribution sites through a time of crisis. This qualitative study serves to analyze food recovery organization (FRO) leadership strategies and principles that guided their decision making and problem-solving skills in response to food shortages and supply chain issues. The merge of the eight pillars of transformational and servant leadership theory provided propositional pillars that were tested in practice through interviews with FRO leaders in Appalachia. The discovery of how these leadership strategies were enacted during a time of crisis will guide the development of a training curriculum for nonprofit leaders in the future. / Master of Science in Life Sciences / The COVID-19 Pandemic exacerbated a multitude of systems in the United States in 2020 up to current day. The structure of non-profit organizations across the country weakened as demands escalated for free food resources with specific pressure placed on food banks and food recovery organizations. There were citizens who had not previously relied on free food services who found themselves in drive through pickups, waiting for pre-packaged food boxes or the occasional you-pick operation to feed their families and themselves. The increase in demand for free food services was reacted to by those leading and directing the free food distribution sites through a time of crisis. This qualitative study serves to analyze food recovery organization (FRO) leadership strategies and principles that guided their decision making and problem-solving skills in response to food shortages and supply chain issues. The merge of the eight pillars of transformational and servant leadership theory provided propositional pillars that were tested in practice through interviews with FRO leaders in Appalachia. The discovery of how these leadership strategies were enacted during a time of crisis will guide the development of a training curriculum for nonprofit leaders in the future.