COVID-19 PANDEMIC & MIGRANT POPULATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted about 1 billion migrants (both international and domestic) in a variety of ways, and this book demonstrates how COVID-19 has widened the gaps between citizens, non-migrant and migrant populations in terms of income, job retention, freedom of movement, vaccine etc.

While there is an emerging literature studying the impacts of COVID-19 on migration, the situation in Southeast Asia has not received much scholarly attention. This book fills the literature gap by studying the experiences of migrants and citizens in Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore and highlighting how the pandemic has exacerbated inequalities between and within the groups. These three countries are studied due to their high reliance of migrants in key economic sectors. Findings in this volume are derived from a qualitative approach, complemented by secondary data sources.

This book is appropriate for undergraduate and postgraduate students of population studies, epidemiology, political science, public policy and administration, international relations, anthropology, psychology, sociology, and migration and refugee studies. Migration and labour scholars benefit from the nuanced comprehension about how a pandemic could cause a schism between migrants and the population at large. Policymakers may consider the proposed recommendations in the book to improve the migration situation.

Contents:

• The COVID-19 Pandemic: Shaker and Shaper of the World
• Contextualizing the Pandemic in the Migration Domain
• COVID-19: An Amplifier of Existing Inequalities
• Vaccine Diplomacy and the COVID-19 Pandemic
• The Pandemic, Disparity, and Southeast Asia
• Are We in the Endgame? Lessons Learned

Readership: Policymakers and students of population studies, epidemiology, political science, public policy and administration, international relations, anthropology, psychology, sociology, and migration and refugee studies at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Key Features:

• A new analytical framework to understand contemporary political developments and COVID-19
• Establishment of direct links between the causes and consequences of the pandemic, evolving political arguments, and impact on the countries of origin and destination of migrant communities with some case studies
• A clear exposition of the trajectory of the pandemic, vaccine and political thought and actions to contribute to the debate on diplomacy