TITLE:
Managing the COVID-19 Pandemic in Madagascar: An Analysis of Challenges and Mitigation Measures
AUTHORS:
Francky M. Rakotoarimanga
KEYWORDS:
COVID-19, Disaster Risk Reduction, Geert Hofstede, Political Analysis, Madagascar
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.11 No.12,
December
26,
2023
ABSTRACT: COVID-19 contests the strength of institutional risk
mitigation actions. 2020 is described as the year of the pandemic that
challenged worldwide resilience and mitigation assessment towards the expansion
of Coronavirus. Disaster risk management and reduction play a pivotal
significance role in shaping a country’s development from the micro to the
macro level. Its objectives are to reduce hazards, limit exposures, and promote
efficient and effective disaster recovery. The purpose of this paper is to
assess and analyze the how and why of Madagascar’s management of the COVID-19
pandemic within the concept of disaster risk reduction. Madagascar, the fourth
largest island in the world, is located on the eastern coast of Africa between
the Mozambique Canal on the west and the Indian Ocean on the east,
geographically on the coordinates 20° South and 47° East. COVID-19 caused 1425
deaths and 68,289 individuals, as the World Health Organization reported in
2023 (WHO, 2023a), intensified the country’s poverty adversity and amplified
the socio-economic hardships within the country. A chosen methodology will
address diverse and comprehensive approaches concerning Madagascar’s management
of the COVID-19 pandemic: literature review, political and economic analysis,
qualitative assessment, quantitative analysis, and comparative analysis.
In-depth, we refer our approach to international standard disaster risk
reduction frameworks, the Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management
Frameworks. Madagascar’s institutional risk mitigation had been influenced by a
multitude of factors: the political incentive of the government regarding
epidemiological management, resource deployment, and the country’s cultural
environment. Using Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimension approach, we will
demonstrate how traditional beliefs, civilizations, and social norms hinder the
execution of preventive measures. As a result, we have learned how Madagascar’s
experience in crisis management addressed complexities. Insights garnered from
our analysis can be used as best practices for future disaster management
schemes in the grip of difficulties. As a solution, we recommend the adoption
of the Minimum Economic Recovery Standards framework with the synergetic
evolution of institutional mechanisms and grassroots community development.