The project "Political-Legal and Cultural Challenges in Dealing with the Pandemic" is funded by the "Ss. Cyril and Methodius" University in Skopje. Building upon the tradition of the Institute for Sociological, Political, and Juridical Research to investigate current societal phenomena and provide relevant data of interest to both the research community and the broader public, this study focuses on identifying the political-legal and cultural challenges in managing the pandemic. Three research objectives have been established for analysis:
- Analysis of the Social and Cultural Implications of the Pandemic: This objective aims to detect the pandemic's implications on social processes, emphasizing societal divisions and the pandemic's role in this context. It also examines cultural institutions, as significant societal factors, and their response to the pandemic.
- Analysis of the Political and Legal-Institutional Implications of the Pandemic: This focuses on the legal-institutional and political consequences of the pandemic, including an analysis of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia and its conduct, as well as the electoral process conducted in 2020 from both political and citizen perspectives.
- Analysis of the Challenges Faced by Journalism During the Pandemic: This examines the media and journalists to identify the challenges they encountered during the pandemic.
To achieve these objectives, both qualitative and quantitative methodological techniques are employed. Qualitative methods include focus groups and semi-structured interviews, while quantitative methods involve surveys. Content analysis is utilized for examining legal acts (constitution, laws, decrees, rules of procedure, strategic documents) and other relevant documents.
The research is conducted in three phases:
- Phase One: Analyzing existing knowledge on the subject and developing its theoretical framework.
- Phase Two: Conducting the research, which involves creating instruments for focus groups, semi-structured interviews, and surveys, followed by their implementation.
- Phase Three: Analyzing the findings and writing reports, which are intended to be part of a monograph dedicated to this research.
Through this project, extensive insights into the studied phenomena have been obtained. The research analyzes society in terms of its divisions and the pandemic's role in this process, examines citizens' behaviors from multiple aspects, assesses cultural institutions and the challenges they faced due to the pandemic, and evaluates the functioning of the Assembly, the electoral process, and the challenges encountered by the media and journalists. All these aspects and institutions are crucial for the development of society, making the research findings valuable for both the academic community and policymakers. The insights gained should serve as a foundation for developing specific policies in the mentioned areas and provide a basis for further research. With this study, the Institute aligns with the global trend of research focusing on the pandemic and its implications.
Research Team:
- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bojana Naumovska (Lead Researcher)
- Prof. Dr. Emilija Simoska
- Prof. Dr. Mirjana Najchevska
- Prof. Dr. Ganka Cvetanova
- Prof. Dr. Goran Janev
- Prof. Dr. Eleonora Serafimovska
- Prof. Dr. Marijana Marković
- Assist. Prof. Dr. Driton Maqiki
- Assist. Prof. Dr. Jovan Bliznakovski
- Assist. MSc. Milka Dimitrovska
- Assist. MSc. Tea Koneska Vasilevska
- Assist. MSc. Blaže Josifovski