This dissertation proposal examines the impact of COVID-19 lockdown mandates on healthcare practices in the Bronx from a public administration perspective. The study investigates how established pandemic protocols were bypassed in favor of guidance from external experts with political and financial interests, the resulting healthcare disruptions experienced by community members, and the role of social media in amplifying public hysteria. Using a qualitative research design — including semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and social media analysis — the study aims to generate localized, in-depth insights into the experiences of healthcare professionals and public administrators. Findings are intended to inform practical recommendations for improving public administration decision-making and crisis communication in future public health emergencies.
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted sectors that fall under the oversight of public health and safety administrators. In the Bronx, the imposition of lockdown mandates presented major challenges and crucial points of ethical dilemma for public administrators. This dissertation proposal examines the impact of COVID-19 lockdown mandates on healthcare in the Bronx from a public administration perspective, focusing on the deviation from established pandemic protocols and the influence of external experts. The study aims to provide insights into the efficacy of these mandates and the ethics of their imposition, with a focus on policy implementation and the resultant effects on health outcomes for community members, along with recommendations for future public administration practices.
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a great deal of hysteria from media and politicians alike in all parts of the world, and rapid public health responses — including strict lockdown measures — were widely called for. Despite having established pandemic protocols, public administrators often ignored these guidelines in favor of recommendations from external experts and politicians who had financial and political interests in the ensuing vaccine rollout (Boin et al., 2021; Sahu, 2020; Richards et al., 2020; Wang & Weinstein-Tull, 2022).
As both older and more recent research has shown, fear is just as much a problem during a pandemic as the pandemic itself (Bagus et al., 2021; Karadimas, 2023). Jeong et al. (2024) studied the effect of Twitter postings on the spread of mass hysteria, and what remains from their research is a gap in understanding what public administrators can do to prevent another mishandling of a public health crisis in the future. Since social media now amplifies every message instantly across the entire planet, some policy must be in place to address this — but for that to happen, a more thorough understanding of what occurred is needed. Did public administrators do enough to try to control narratives? How could social media have been better utilized to keep people calm and to introduce more reasoned strategies for dealing with COVID-19 — strategies that might not have devastated businesses or denied patients needed care due to lockdowns?
This research will be exploratory and therefore qualitative. The following research questions guide the study:
1. How did COVID-19 lockdown mandates affect healthcare practices in the Bronx?
2. What were the experiences and perspectives of healthcare professionals regarding these changes?
3. How did public administrators in healthcare institutions navigate the challenges posed by the lockdown mandates?
4. How could social media have been better utilized to manage public perception and reduce hysteria?
5. What lessons can be drawn from these experiences to inform future public administration practices in crisis situations?
The Bronx was one of the hardest-hit areas during the pandemic and thus represents a critical case study for understanding these challenges. The healthcare sector faced extreme pressures that resulted in rapid and often unplanned changes in practices. Several distinct factors motivate this research.
Despite having established pandemic protocols, public administrators often ignored these in favor of recommendations from external experts who had financial and political interests in the vaccine rollout (Goel et al., 2021; Wang & Weinstein-Tull, 2022). This unique context demands an investigation into how existing healthcare policies and practices were sidelined.
The role of public administrators in healthcare during a pandemic is critically important, as COVID-19 demonstrated, yet this area still requires further exploration and understanding. Examining how lockdown mandates were implemented and managed — and their effect on healthcare for communities like the Bronx — can provide valuable insights for future public administration practices.
The pandemic exposed significant vulnerabilities in healthcare management and public administration (Wang & Weinstein-Tull, 2022). Issues such as structural hierarchies of governance, workforce shortages, work closures, and related disruptions all left a lasting impact on the community.
As global health crises become more frequent, it is important to learn from the COVID-19 experience. This research aims to provide practical recommendations for policymakers and public administrators to better prepare for and manage healthcare challenges in future emergencies.
The role of social media in spreading information and hysteria during the pandemic also warrants thorough examination. Understanding its impact and how it can be better managed in future crises is central to this research.
Existing literature has extensively covered various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including its epidemiology, economic impact, and direct health consequences. However, several gaps remain in our understanding, particularly at the intersection of public administration, healthcare, and social media.
Studies specifically examining the role and experiences of public administrators in healthcare settings during the pandemic are limited. This research will address this gap by employing qualitative methods — including interviews and document analysis — to provide in-depth insights into the experiences and perspectives of public administrators, healthcare workers, and patients, as well as the role of social media.
Research on the specific changes in healthcare practices and policies within institutions during the pandemic is also sparse. This study will explore these changes in detail, providing a comprehensive understanding of how healthcare practices were adapted to meet the demands of the crisis and how those decisions were shaped by public administration.
While global and national studies provide broad insights, there is a need for localized research that considers the unique context of specific regions. The Bronx was a major epicenter of the pandemic in New York and functions as a unique case study that can yield important lessons for other regions. Additionally, the role of social media in shaping public perception and its potential in crisis management has not been adequately studied (Jeong et al., 2024). This research will fill this gap by examining how social media could have been better utilized to manage hysteria and misinformation during the pandemic.
This research will help bridge the identified gaps in current literature by providing a detailed, localized examination of the impact of COVID-19 lockdown mandates on healthcare within the Bronx. The focus on the public administration perspective and the use of qualitative methods should generate practical understanding and actionable recommendations for improving public administration decision-making during future crises. The findings will contribute to the broader understanding of public administration in emergency contexts and inform the development of more comprehensive strategies.
"Key thematic areas to be reviewed"
This study will use a qualitative research design to provide an in-depth understanding of the impacts of COVID-19 lockdown mandates on healthcare practices in the Bronx. The methodology will include the following components.
Interviews: Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with healthcare professionals and administrators in the Bronx. These interviews will explore their experiences, challenges, and strategies in response to the lockdown mandates.
Document Analysis: Policies, memos, and internal reports from healthcare institutions will be examined to understand the formal responses to the lockdown mandates.
Social Media Analysis: Social media posts and trends during the lockdown period will be analyzed to understand the spread of information and hysteria.
A purposive sampling approach will be used to select participants from a diverse range of healthcare institutions, including hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities. The sample will include healthcare managers, public administrators, and healthcare workers to capture a comprehensive view of the impacts across different organizational levels.
Thematic analysis will be employed to identify and interpret patterns and themes within the data. NVivo software will be used to assist with coding and organizing the qualitative data. The analysis will focus on understanding the changes in healthcare practices, the challenges faced by public administrators, and the strategies employed to manage the workforce during the lockdown.
Informed consent will be obtained from all participants, ensuring their confidentiality and anonymity. The study will be conducted in compliance with ethical guidelines for research involving human subjects, including approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB).
"Practical policy recommendations and scholarly contributions"
You’re 75% through this paper. Sign up to read the remaining 2 sections.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.