Unraveling jolts within social support systems
Angie Jo, a doctoral student in political science, has shifted her research focus to examine how different welfare regimes respond to collective crises, such as the Covid-19 pandemic.
Born in California and raised on an American education, Jo's academic journey began at Harvard University, where she initially focused on art and architecture. However, her interest in political economy was sparked after working in macroeconomics research at a hedge fund. This led her to pursue a master's degree in city planning at MIT, where she studied the political economy of master-planning new cities in China and South Korea.
Jo's current research focuses on advanced industrialized democracies classified as "liberal welfare regimes," including the U.S., UK, Canada, and Australia. In normal times, these countries view government assistance as a last resort and have minimal, means-tested welfare systems. However, during crises, they have historically spent unprecedented amounts on emergency aid to citizens. Examples of such aid include stimulus checks, expanded unemployment insurance, child tax credits, grants, and debt forbearance.
On the other hand, Scandinavian countries, classified as "social democratic welfare regimes," have deep and comprehensive welfare states that allow them to use existing social policy tools during crises. During crises, social democratic welfare regimes are largely able to prevent mass layoffs using subsidized childcare and short-time work schemes.
Jo's research is motivated by a question about what happens when the next crisis comes. She is investigating why countries with minimal social welfare, like the U.S., suddenly deploy dramatic emergency responses during crises. Her research also examines whether the responses of different welfare regimes to crises lead to lasting institutional reforms or temporary patches.
Jo started her doctoral studies in political science in 2019, coinciding with the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic helped define Jo's primary research thrust, as she realised that wealthy Western democracies have serious problems and are not dealing well with crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jo's research now focuses on understanding the responses of liberal welfare regimes to collective crises, such as the Covid-19 pandemic. She conducts her comparative research for her doctoral thesis on welfare states' reactions to collective crises in the countries of Germany, Spain, and Portugal.
Jo's work aims to provide insights into how governments can better respond to crises, ensuring the well-being of their citizens and avoiding temporary patches that do not lead to lasting institutional reforms.
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