The COVID-19 pandemic has spread across the world and left turmoil in every facet of society in its wake. As in-person activities came to an end for public safety, businesses closed, classrooms scrambled to transition online, and society was forever changed. As the pandemic comes to a close, it is essential that researchers take this opportunity to study the changes that have occurred so that society may revive what has been lost and promote resilience should another crisis arise. Societal Transformations and Resilience in Times of Crisis focuses on the revival of societal institutions after events such as natural disasters, pandemics, political turmoil, and global crises, and looks toward building more resilient structures. It contributes novel approaches and provides implications for countries to improve the social system through novel approaches. Covering topics such as employee psychological distress, democracy, and higher education institutions, this premier reference source is a dynamic resource for government officials, community leaders, non-governmental organizations, students and faculty of higher education, sociologists, business executives and managers, human resource managers, researchers, and academicians.

In Toxic Matters, Monica Seger considers two Italian environmental disasters: an isolated factory explosion in Seveso, just north of Milan, in 1976 and the ongoing daily toxic emissions from the Ilva steelworks in the Apulian city of Taranto. Both have exposed residents to high concentrations of the persistent organic pollutant known as dioxin. Although different in terms of geography and temporality, Seveso and Taranto are deeply united by this nearly imperceptible substance, and by the representational complexities it poses. They are also united by creative narrative expressions, in literary, cinematic, and other forms, that push back against dominant contexts and representations perpetuated by state and industrial actors.Seger traces a dialogue between Seveso and Taranto, exploring an interplay between bodies, soil, industrial emissions, and the wealth of dynamic particulate matter that passes in between. At the same time, she emphasizes the crucial function of narrative expression for making sense of this modern-day reality and for shifting existing power dynamics as exposed communities exercise their voices. While Toxic Matters, is grounded in Italian cases and texts, it looks outward to the pressing questions of toxicity, embodiment, and storytelling faced by communities worldwide.

In Toxic Matters, Monica Seger considers two Italian environmental disasters: an isolated factory explosion in Seveso, just north of Milan, in 1976 and the ongoing daily toxic emissions from the Ilva steelworks in the Apulian city of Taranto. Both have exposed residents to high concentrations of the persistent organic pollutant known as dioxin. Although different in terms of geography and temporality, Seveso and Taranto are deeply united by this nearly imperceptible substance, and by the representational complexities it poses. They are also united by creative narrative expressions, in literary, cinematic, and other forms, that push back against dominant contexts and representations perpetuated by state and industrial actors.Seger traces a dialogue between Seveso and Taranto, exploring an interplay between bodies, soil, industrial emissions, and the wealth of dynamic particulate matter that passes in between. At the same time, she emphasizes the crucial function of narrative expression for making sense of this modern-day reality and for shifting existing power dynamics as exposed communities exercise their voices. While Toxic Matters, is grounded in Italian cases and texts, it looks outward to the pressing questions of toxicity, embodiment, and storytelling faced by communities worldwide.

A global health crisis creates great uncertainty, high stress, and anxiety within society. During such a crisis, when information is unavailable or inconsistent, and when people feel unsure of what they know or what anyone knows, behavioral science indicates an increased human desire for transparency, direction, and meaning of what has happened. At such a time, the roles of stakeholders that emerge with their words and actions can help keep people safe, help them cope with emotions, and ultimately bring their experience into context leading to meaningful results. But as this crisis shifts beyond public health and workplace safety, there are implications for business continuity, job loss, and radically different ways of working. While some may already seek meaning from the crisis and move towards the ""next normal,"" others feel a growing uncertainty and are worried about the future. Therefore, it is important to analyze the role of stakeholders during these uncertain times. Stakeholder Strategies for Reducing the Impact of Global Health Crises provides a comprehensive resource on stakeholder action and strategies to deal with crises by analyzing the needs of society during global health crises, how stakeholders should communicate, and how resilience and peace can be promoted in times of chaos. The chapters cover the roles of stakeholders during a pandemic spanning from the government and international development agencies to industry and non-government organizations, community-based organizations, and more. This book not only highlights the responsibilities of each of the stakeholders but also showcases the best practices seen during the COVID-19 pandemic through existing theories and case studies. This book is intended for researchers in the fields of sociology, political science, public administration, mass media and communication, crisis and disaster management, and more, along with government officials, policymakers, medical agencies, executives, managers, medical professionals, practitioners, stakeholders, academicians, and students interested in the role of stakeholders during global health crises.

This publication explores why targeted investments in women are crucial to increase resilience to climate change and disasters and to achieve broader sustainable development. Such investments include human resource development, institutional strengthening, financial literacy, the promotion of women's voice and representation, and learning and skills development. The publication explains why women-focused investments are necessary for climate resilience and identifies the key characteristics of such investments. It also discusses how a more supportive enabling environment can be developed.

Three devastating epidemics swept Egypt in the 1940's killing more people than all the wars Egypt has fought in the twentieth century. Egypt's Other Wars vividly reconstructs the nation's struggle against malaria, relapsing fever, and cholera and explores the unique combination of forces that put public health at the top of the national political agenda. Egypt in the 1940's as in the throes of a nationalist upheaval. Nationalists of all political ideologies attributed the sever epidemics that the country was experiencing to Egypt's status as an underdeveloped and colonized nation. The epidemics were therefore viewed for the first time as not only a public health crisis but also a political problem that called for a political solution.

***A GUARDIAN BOOK TO LOOK OUT FOR IN AUTUMN 2021*** A brilliantly warm, witty and moving portrait of our pandemic lives, told in ten heart-rending short stories Love and marriage. Children and family. Death and grief. Life touches everyone the same. But living under lockdown, it changes us alone. In these ten, beautifully moving short stories mostly written over the last year, Booker Prize winner Roddy Doyle paints a collective portrait of our strange times. A man abroad wanders the stag-and-hen-strewn streets of Newcastle, as news of the virus at home asks him to question his next move. An exhausted nurse struggles to let go, having lost a much-loved patient in isolation. A middle-aged son, barred from his mother's funeral, wakes to an oncoming hangover of regret. Told with Doyle's signature warmth, wit and extraordinary eye for the richness that underpins the quiet of our lives, Life Without Children cuts to the heart of how we are all navigating loss, loneliness, and the shifting of history underneath our feet. 'Roddy Doyle is an absolute genius' J.K. Rowling 'The undisputed laureate of ordinary lives' The Times