Cross-cultural responses to COVID-19

Topic

Cross-cultural responses to COVID-19

Introduction

The headline dominating the news these days is related to COVID-19.  

As we read these news stories, it is interesting to note the different responses to the pandemic by the different countries in the world. 

For example, Sweden did not impose a COVID-19 lockdown, while other countries established heavy restrictions. 

Some countries (in Asia, for example) have been quicker to enforce national testing, country-wide shutdowns and implement modern technology (i.e., mobile tracking tools) to contain the spread of the virus than other countries. 

Instructions & Assignment Question

Select two countries in the world (any two; your choice) that you would like to compare and contrast. Example: Canada vs. Brazil.

Read through the recent online news stories/academic literature regarding the responses to the COVID-19 pandemic by these two countries.

Then ask yourself this:

How has ethnic culture contributed to the differences in responses to COVID-19 by the governments/people of these two countries? 

You must select a minimum of 2 (maximum of 3) cultural dimensions among the six that will be discussed in the Week 2 module (i.e., Hofstede Insights) to account for these different responses. Please see links below to help you get started.