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Universalists or Utilitarianists? The Social Representation of COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil

Author

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  • Luiz Antonio Joia

    (Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration, Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV EBAPE), Rio de Janeiro 22231-010, Brazil)

  • Flavia Michelotto

    (Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration, Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV EBAPE), Rio de Janeiro 22231-010, Brazil)

Abstract

A fierce debate arose in Brazil on how to manage and mitigate the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic—a debate derived from a dissonant perception by society about the actual significance of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Brazilian population has divided into two contrasting philosophical approaches: the universalism—understanding life as an asset of infinite value and, therefore, more important than the country’s economic preservation—and the utilitarianism—where the focus is on the mitigation of the COVID 19 pandemic-enabled economic crisis, due to its potential devastating effect on people’s lives, thereby leaving health issues in the background. The main cause for these different sensemakings is associated with the lack of a monosemic definition for the “COVID-19 pandemic” construct. Thus, the objective of this article is to investigate the social representation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil through the Social Representation Theory operationalized by the word’s evocation technique. The results show that Brazilian society privileged prophylaxis and health, via social isolation, to the detriment of the country’s economic preservation. In addition, trends emphasized by experts, such as a post-pandemic “new-normal” and the digital transformation of society, played a peripheral role in the social representation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil.

Suggested Citation

  • Luiz Antonio Joia & Flavia Michelotto, 2020. "Universalists or Utilitarianists? The Social Representation of COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-18, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:24:p:10434-:d:461604
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tan Seng Teck & Liau Chee How & Nanthakumar Karuppiah & Chang Jau Ho, 2018. "Universalism and Utilitarianism, Two Worlds Apart or Inextricably Linked?," Journal of Management and Sustainability, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 8(1), pages 13-19, March.
    2. Karl E. Weick, 1988. "Enacted Sensemaking In Crisis Situations[1]," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(4), pages 305-317, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Luiz Antonio Joia & Flavia Michelotto & Manuela Lorenzo, 2022. "Sustainability and the Social Representation of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Missing Link," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-19, August.
    2. Luiz Antonio Joia & Lineu Fachin Leonardo, 2023. "The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Digital Transformation of Workplace: The Social Representation of Home-Office," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-20, October.

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