Abstract
|
The objective or the research question(s)
This paper explores the relationship between local financial capacity and vaccine hesitancy in Romania. Vaccination is considered one of the strategies to control the current COVID-19 pandemic. The topic is highly relevant in the context of Romania, which still registers one of the lowest vaccination coverages against COVID-19 in the EU. It is also relevant for the upcoming social and economic potential challenges Romania must face in 2022.
Relevance of the topic
The hypothesized relationship between the local financial capacity and vaccination uptake is a positive one. An emphasis on the social processes over the individual factors can bring an enhanced standpoint on the structural disparities in vaccination rates. From this perspective, two potential pathways explored might prove to be useful. They refer to neoliberal logic and social exclusion (Wiysonge et al., 2021). The neoliberal logic underscores individual choices and accountability on both health-related risks and outcomes and has been opposed to the position advocated in the vaccination campaign to view vaccination as a public health and collective responsibility. In addition, experiencing social exclusion can prove to be a factor accounting for vaccine hesitancy. Therefore, social exclusion and neoliberal logic have been viewed as complementary to the core psychological constructs highlighted in the framework of the 5Cs (WHO, 2014; Wisonge et al., 2021). Previous research showed lower vaccination uptake among ethnic minority groups and deprived communities in England (Razai et al., 2021). Some of the cons against the anti-COVID-19 vaccine add to the low rates of trust in governmental authorities, especially at the central level (ibid.).
Previous analyses conducted at the locality level for the case of Romania revealed, as predictors of vaccination coverage (data for August 2021), the infection rate with COVID-19, the local human development index, the average age of the local population in 2018, the area of residence (urban/rural), the index of urban connectedness, the permanent resident population and the index of migration experience, together with cultural areas as clusters of neighbouring counties (Sandu, 2021, Sandu, 2022). These identified structural relationships add to already highlighted discrepancies that rural localities had to face in terms of access to health, educational and social services, even before the pandemic. Local financial capacity, among one of the indicators of local development, can be used as a proxy variable for studying local development disparities. Additional influences will be taken into consideration in studying the dependent variable, namely vaccine uptake at locality level.
Data and methodology
The study is based on a secondary analysis of public official data on vaccination coverage at local level and local budgets execution in Romania. Based on data availability, several computation methods for measuring local financial capacity will be employed. The dynamics of vaccination coverage at locality level will also be taken into consideration. Alongside these two key variables, other structural factors such as availability of medical services, different local development indexes, connectivity or incidence rates will be examined, based on data availability.
Expected findings
The study will present the relationships between local financial capacity and vaccination coverage in Romania, at the local level. The perspective used by this study is therefore centered around structural factors, rather than on individual level factors. The paper contributes to enlarging the perspective on vaccination hesitancy by adding both conceptual and practical insights.
Keywords: vaccine hesitancy; financial capacity; COVID-19; Romania; local governments.
|
