"My affiliation with Sparkman was very productive as a fellow because it helped me gain insight into global health and how health, gender, and economic issues play out in the public policy process in different national contexts."
A Brief Overview of Your Time and Experiences with The Sparkman Center for Global Health
I worked as a faculty member at the Department of Government at UAB until 2016. During my time there and as a Sparkman fellow, I researched global issues, public policy, and was involved with UAB’s internationalization plan. My affiliation with Sparkman was very productive as a fellow because it helped me gain insight into global health and how health, gender, and economic issues play out in the public policy process in different national contexts.
Details of Organizations You are Currently Affiliated with or Employed, Along with Other Notable Professional Engagements
I am currently the Mertie Buckman Chair and Professor of International Studies at Rhodes College, Memphis, TN. Over the last several years, I have conducted research on the Covid-19 pandemic from comparative and global perspectives. More specifically, I tracked and analyzed differences in national responses to the pandemic. In addition, I co-authored research that specified the effectiveness of public health measures related to the pandemic in European settings.
Insights into Any Upcoming Plans You May Have for the Near Future
In the future I hope to build on my policy research on responses to pandemics along two axes. First, I intend to continue building on my research on Covid-19 responses. For this purpose, I helped co-develop an international database that tracks daily measures on a sliding scale - i.e., mask directives, travel or work restrictions, and the like. While not global in scope, I hope to expand and deepen the database’s coverage to most European countries and eventually go beyond them. What is unique about this project is that the database derives data from official government sources and not social or public media. Hence while limited in scope, it is far more accurate than others with higher reliability and consistency scores. The project helps us better understand effectiveness and provides evidence-based data on what works.
The second research axis deals with the policy process. My work with teams of colleagues from around the world has yielded insights into the policy process during global crises. I want to expand this research to better understand national and international processes so that better policy, not just medical, advice can be given during the next pandemic. We are trying to gain a more nuanced grasp of the tool kit, timing, and effectiveness of public health measures around the world at all three levels of governance: local, national, and international. We want to know why these measures are adopted, when they should be deployed and for how long, and what results the public may expect from them.
A Link to an Article or Online Platform Showcasing Your Work
Twitter / X might be the best online platform that showcases much of my work:
Policy Styles and Political Trust in Europe’s National Responses to the COVID-19 Crisis (Nikolaos Zahariadis, Evangelia Petridou, Theofanis Exadaktylos, and Jörgen Sparf). Policy Studies, 44 (1) 2023, 46-67.
A Legislation-Based Database for COVID-19 Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (Alexandros Kyriakidis, Nikolaos Zahariadis, and Ioannis Papadopoulos). International Review of Public Policy, 4 (3) 2022.