Covid-19: Lockdown and breakdown. Global challenges, Italian responses, socio-psychological and economic impacts in Veneto

Abstract

The dawn of the 2020 is rather gloomy. In the newspapers and pumped in all mass media around the world, the only word that is seen, heard and listened to is Coronavirus. This Masters’ research project will try to analyze the effects of a global medical emergency caused by a virus without precedents that stress existing economic inequalities. The progressive loss of social values, the technology installation in every aspect of life, an interconnected world without a properly coordinated international plan, a declining faith in experts and the embrace of misinformation caused by the huge amount of information easily available but not well discerned, the stress of finite world resource in the hand of few, human rights as health not applicable yet in the same way to everyone, are just few of the existing problems that boosted the penetration power of this invisible enemy. Many trends already taking place are being accelerated by the impact of the pandemic: the rise of digital behavior in the work and education environments, telemedicine and delivery services; cross-border data flows; power imbalances in global institutions. COVID-19 will leave a lasting imprint on the world economy, causing permanent changes like deglobalization. This research is aimed to highlight not only the economic effects, but also the social and psychological impacts arising just with the declaration of a pandemic situation. The focus will be in Italy, and in particular in Veneto region.