Skip to product information
1 of 1

Towards Inclusive Social Policies?

Regular price $22.95
Regular price $22.95 Sale price $22.95
Sold out
Available open access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted economies and upended lives – but did it also open the door to more inclusive policies? Focusing on both attitudina...
Read More
  • 25 November 2025
View Product Details

Available open access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted economies and upended lives – but did it also open the door to more inclusive policies?

Focusing on both attitudinal and institutional repercussions of the pandemic, and transcending Western-centric narratives and case studies, this book asks the question: has the COVID-19 pandemic facilitated the adoption of more generous and inclusive social policies in Southeast Asia?

Combining original survey data with qualitative policy analysis in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, this concise yet rigorous volume challenges long-held beliefs and provides a comparative framework for understanding welfare change in politically and economically varied contexts. Valuable reading for anyone seeking to understand how crises can reshape public expectations and state responses.

files/i.png Icon
Price: $22.95
Pages: 158
Publisher: Bristol University Press
Imprint: Policy Press
Publication Date: 25 November 2025
ISBN: 9781447376231
Format: Paperback
BISACs: POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / Social Services & Welfare, Social impact of disasters / accidents (natural or man-made), POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / Social Policy, POLITICAL SCIENCE / World / Asian, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / Health Care, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Disease & Health Issues, Public administration / Public policy, Health, illness or addiction: social aspects, Welfare and benefit systems
REVIEWS Icon
“This book makes a unique contribution to the study of the COVID-19 pandemic as a social policy disruptor. The findings are important for those who want to know how crisis can change political dynamics and its limitations.” Sara E. Davies, Griffith University

Diego Fossati is Associate Professor in the Department of Public and International Affairs at City University of Hong Kong.

Nicholas Thomas is Associate Professor in the Department of Public and International Affairs at City University of Hong Kong.

Mark R. Thompson is Chair Professor of Politics in the Department of Public and International Affairs at City University of Hong Kong.

1. Taking Stock of the Pandemic in Southeast Asia

2. Theorizing Possibilities of Change

3. Attitudinal and Behavioural Change

4. Institutions, Politics and Social Welfare

5. Outcomes and Implications

6. Appendix