IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jsecdv/v27y2025i2d10.1007_s40847-024-00342-8.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

COVID-19 impact on urban low-income individuals in Bangladesh: a qualitative content analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Tasin Islam Himel

    (Khulna University)

  • Sumya Naz

    (Khulna University)

  • Md. Zakir Hossain

    (Khulna University)

  • Khan Rubayet Rahaman

    (St. Mary’s University)

Abstract

This article examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on low-income city dwellers in Bangladesh. Methods considered a content analysis to investigate the urban poor’s ability to navigate the challenges brought by the pandemic. The study employed 286 news articles from national newspapers, spanning 17 March 2020 to 31 December 2020, collected via online portals and analysed using QSR NVivo 12. The content analysis revealed significant and comprehensive themes, including affected sectors, impacted demographics, shocks, stresses across different fields, and coping strategies. The study reflected on how the nationwide lockdown initially jolted the country and subsequently affected sectors, notably the ready-made garments (RMG), small and medium enterprises (SME), and informal sectors. The broader social and economic repercussions, such as income decline, food insecurity, limited access to healthcare and education, and exacerbation of existing inequalities, begged further investigation. This exploration could provide a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by the urban poor during the pandemic. This article highlighted the role of media in raising the voices of low-income individuals during the pandemic, advocating for legislative changes and community support. To enhance future pandemic management, it would be imperative to prioritise accurate reporting by the media, utilise technology for outreach, and foster collaboration with governments and public health organisations.

Suggested Citation

  • Tasin Islam Himel & Sumya Naz & Md. Zakir Hossain & Khan Rubayet Rahaman, 2025. "COVID-19 impact on urban low-income individuals in Bangladesh: a qualitative content analysis," Journal of Social and Economic Development, Springer;Institute for Social and Economic Change, vol. 27(2), pages 662-684, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jsecdv:v:27:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s40847-024-00342-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s40847-024-00342-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s40847-024-00342-8
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s40847-024-00342-8?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Manfred Lenzen & Mengyu Li & Arunima Malik & Francesco Pomponi & Ya-Yen Sun & Thomas Wiedmann & Futu Faturay & Jacob Fry & Blanca Gallego & Arne Geschke & Jorge Gómez-Paredes & Keiichiro Kanemoto & St, 2020. "Global socio-economic losses and environmental gains from the Coronavirus pandemic," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(7), pages 1-13, July.
    2. Mashura Shammi & Md. Bodrud-Doza & Abu Reza Md. Towfiqul Islam & Md. Mostafizur Rahman, 2021. "Strategic assessment of COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh: comparative lockdown scenario analysis, public perception, and management for sustainability," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 6148-6191, April.
    3. Nicola Banks, 2012. "Urban poverty in Bangladesh: causes, consequences and coping strategies," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 17812, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    4. Josefine Lund Schlamovitz & Per Becker, 2021. "Differentiated vulnerabilities and capacities for adaptation to water shortage in Gaborone, Botswana," International Journal of Water Resources Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(2), pages 278-299, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Alf Hornborg, 2021. "Beyond the Image of COVID-19 as Nature’s Revenge: Understanding Globalized Capitalism through an Epidemiology of Money," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-11, April.
    2. Ali Farazmand & Elina Simone & Giuseppe Lucio Gaeta & Salvatore Capasso, 2022. "Corruption, lack of Transparency and the Misuse of Public Funds in Times of Crisis: An introduction," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 497-503, September.
    3. Dang, Hai-Anh H. & Trinh, Trong-Anh, 2021. "Does the COVID-19 lockdown improve global air quality? New cross-national evidence on its unintended consequences," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    4. Mei Li & Gregory Trencher & Jusen Asuka, 2022. "The clean energy claims of BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell: A mismatch between discourse, actions and investments," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(2), pages 1-27, February.
    5. Nurhasniza Idham Abu Hasan & Nur Faezah Jamal & Mohd Sapuan Baharuddin & Nor Mariyah Abdul Ghafar, 2023. "Factors Influencing Sustainable Consumption of Malaysian Households from Perspectives of Income and Consumption Expenditure," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 7(9), pages 136-141, September.
    6. Danielle Emma Johnson & Karen Fisher & Meg Parsons, 2022. "Diversifying Indigenous Vulnerability and Adaptation: An Intersectional Reading of Māori Women’s Experiences of Health, Wellbeing, and Climate Change," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-40, May.
    7. Nicola Banks, 2014. "Livelihoods Limitations: The Political Economy of Urban Poverty in Bangladesh," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 19914, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    8. Luiz Maurício Furtado Maués & Felipe de Sá Moreira & Luciana de Nazaré Pinheiro Cordeiro & Raísse Layane de Paula Saraiva & Paulo Cerqueira dos Santos Junior & Olga Maria Pinheiro Pinheiro, 2022. "Impact on Education and Ecological Footprint as a Consequence of SARS-CoV-2 in the Perception of the Quality of Teaching Engineering Students in the Brazilian Amazon," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-17, August.
    9. Marija Mosurović Ružičić & Mirjana Miletić & Marina Dobrota, 2021. "Does a National Innovation System Encourage Sustainability? Lessons from the Construction Industry in Serbia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-19, March.
    10. Jim Hart & Francesco Pomponi, 2021. "A Circular Economy: Where Will It Take Us?," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 127-141, June.
    11. He, Chao & Yang, Lu & Cai, Bofeng & Ruan, Qingyuan & Hong, Song & Wang, Zhen, 2021. "Impacts of the COVID-19 event on the NOx emissions of key polluting enterprises in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 281(C).
    12. Thomas, Annika & Hubo, Christiane, 2024. "Multiple crises as a policy window for forest and nature a power-analysis from Germany," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    13. Md Imran Khan & Majed Alharthi, 2024. "Understanding the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Indian Migrant Workers in the United Arab Emirates: Perceptions, Challenges, and Psychological Effects," Economies, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-16, May.
    14. Nurhasniza Idham Abu Hasan & Nurul Husna Jamian & Nur Faezah Jamal, 2024. "Exploratory Factor Analysis of the Items for Measuring Statistical Perceived Ability Instruments," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(3s), pages 1913-1918, March.
    15. L'aszl'o Czaller & GergH{o} T'oth & Bal'azs Lengyel, 2021. "Vaccine allocation to blue-collar workers," Papers 2104.04639, arXiv.org.
    16. Maeno, Keitaro & Tokito, Shohei & Kagawa, Shigemi, 2022. "CO2 mitigation through global supply chain restructuring," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    17. Cottafava, Dario & Gastaldo, Michele & Quatraro, Francesco & Santhiá, Cristina, 2022. "Modeling economic losses and greenhouse gas emissions reduction during the COVID-19 pandemic: Past, present, and future scenarios for Italy," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    18. Terence Moriarty & Kelsey Bourbeau & Fabio Fontana & Scott McNamara & Michael Pereira da Silva, 2021. "The Relationship between Psychological Stress and Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors during COVID-19 among Students in a US Midwest University," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-11, April.
    19. Md. Zakir Hossain & Md. Ashiq Ur Rahman, 2018. "Adaptation to climate change as resilience for urban extreme poor: lessons learned from targeted asset transfers programmes in Dhaka city of Bangladesh," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 407-432, February.
    20. Wadim Strielkowski & Irina Firsova & Svetlana Azarova & Irina Shatskaya, 2022. "Novel Insights in the Leadership in Business and Economics: A Post-Coronavirus Update," Economies, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-20, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:jsecdv:v:27:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s40847-024-00342-8. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.