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The aim of the paper is to show the Polish story of the COVID-19 pandemic as seen through a humorous looking glass. Different stages of coronavirus presence in the media and social discourse have been accompanied by the appearance and development of jokes and memes, which illustrate the rapidly changing pandemic situation. The database consists of over three hundred memes, movies, and comments collected between February and May 2020, during the pandemic humour peak, and come mainly from private WhatsApp and Facebook accounts of the researchers. The humorous material is related to introduced restrictions, changing laws, parliamentary elections, news from other affected countries as well as seasons and festive times - especially Easter - occurring in the same period of time. The universal themes present in the humorous material travelling around the world are complemented by the strictly culturally immersed topics, reflecting the specific social and political situation in Poland. The analysis undertaken in the article focuses on various kinds of mechanisms which involve intertextuality (allusions) as well as complexity of references that function as sources of humour, with special attention being paid to cultural references, for example, films, paintings, references to political life, including those of the life under socialism as well as universal themes, such as animal memes. © 2021 Eesti Keele InstituutAƒÂ‚A‚Â. All rights reserved.

Longitudinal studies of the last decades impressively demonstrate the potentially harmful influence of early psychosocial stress on children's physical and mental health (1,2,3). Within the first year of life, children are particularly vulnerable to health-relevant environmental factors, while at the same time their resilience is not yet very robust (4). Children between 1-3 years of age are also still highly dependent on the care provided by and the relationship with their parents. Overall, children aged 0-3 years are considered a special risk group for neglect and other forms of maltreatment (5). Currently, the restrictions caused by the Covid 19 pandemic and the worsening economic conditions lead to multiple psychosocial burdens for young families (parental stress, existential worries, etc.). It can be assumed that this is reflected in both the immediate parental stress and the children's behaviour (6). Early and systematic identification of the needs for psychosocial support in families with children between 0 and 3 years of age enables the prompt initiation of appropriate support services (e.g. early intervention services, so called “Frühe Hilfen”) and can contribute to preventing negative effects on child health. Due to the regular and early access to young families via the well-child visits (so called "U check-ups"), resident paediatricians are particularly suitable for this task (7). Currently, there is no universal standardised procedure in Germany that facilitates a reliable identification of psychosocially burdened families and referral to early intervention services. Within the framework of a Bavaria-wide study, it is to be examined whether the access rate to early prevention services can be positively influenced through a specific "early prevention module". Furthermore, the longitudinal course of psychosocial stress factors in families with children between 0 and 3 years of age during the Covid 19 pandemic will be investigated. A comparison with corresponding historical cohorts will be used to determine the extent to which the psychosocial stress of families with infants and young children has changed under the current crisis conditions, how the stress factors correlate and how effective support measures initiated by the paediatricians are. If psychosocial stress in families is detected at an early stage and support measures are initiated promptly, an escalation of the stressful circumstances (risk to children's well-being) and a chronification of the existing problems can be prevented. If the "early interventions module" proves to be effective, it should be considered to include it in the standard procedure of the paediatric U-check-ups. (1) Werner, E. E. (1993). Risk, resilience, and recovery: Perspectives from the Kauai Longitudinal Study. Development and Psychopathology, 5, 503-515. (2) Laucht, M., Esser, G. & Schmid, M. H. (1997). Developmental Outcome of Infants Born with Biological and Psychosocial Risks. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 38(7), 843-854. (3) Laucht, M., Schmidt, M. H. & Esser, G. (2002). Motorische, kognitive und sozial-emotionale Entwicklung von 11-Jährigen mit frühkindlichen Risikobelastungen: späte Folgen. Zeitschrift für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie, 30(1), 5-19. (4) Schlack, H. G. (2009). Sozialpädiatrie: Eine Standortbestimmung. In H. G. Schlack, R. von Kries & U. Thyen (Eds.), Sozialpädiatrie. Gesundheitswissenschaft und pädiatrischer Alltag (pp. 1-8). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer. (5) Münder J, Mutke B, Schone R: Kindeswohl zwischen Jugendhilfe und Justiz. Münster: Votum-Verlag 2000. (6) Papoušek, M. (2004). Regulationsstörungen der frühen Kindheit: Klinische Evidenz für ein neues diagnostisches Konzept. In: M. Papoušek, M. Schieche, H. Wurmser (Hrsg.), Regulationsstörungen der frühen Kindheit, 77-110. Huber, Bern. (7) Hayutin, L. G., Reed-Knight, B., Blount, R. L., Lewis, J. & McCormick, M. L. (2009). Increasing Parent–Pediatrician Communication about Children’s Psychosocial Problems. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 34 (10), 1155-1164.

The aim of the proposed study is to explore the precursors of temporal relief in relation to a common, real-world episode, that may be shaped by subjective beliefs about the pastness of the experience and the aversiveness of the episode. Specifically, we are interested in exploring whether the amount of relief an individual feels about the ending of COVID restrictions, is influenced by whether or not they believe the pandemic to be over (‘pastness’), how unpleasant they found the restrictions to be (‘aversiveness’), and whether they think the Government’s decision to lift restrictions was correct (‘decision quality).

After a strong start in early 2022, the largest COVID-19 wave in two years and resulting mobility restrictions have disrupted China’s growth normalization. The global environment has also significantly worsened following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Real gross domestic product (GDP) growth is projected to slow sharply to 4.3 percent in 2022. In the face of domestic and external headwinds, China's policymakers should carefully calibrate its policies. In the short term, China should balance COVID-19 mitigation with supporting economic growth. Over the medium term, greater efforts are needed to shift away from the old playbook of stimulus-led investment to boost economic growth. Decisive action to encourage a shift toward consumption, tackle social inequality, and rekindle innovation and productivity growth would help achieve a more balanced, inclusive, and sustainable growth trajectory for China.

The analysis undertaken in the article focuses on a group of memes selected from the database which drew on culture-specific references. Specifically, they embrace the memories of socialist times and call on references to comic films and easily recognized characters in order to bring out the re-discovered absurdity of the current Covid situation. This material seems ideal to revisit Raskin’s early notion of sophistication, which was broadly argued to derive from intertextuality as well complexity of references that function as sources of humor. In all the examples discussed we can observe the intertextual and metatextual elements, multiple levels and shifts in points of view and attitudes as well as the mutual relations of verbal to visual within the meme cycles. In order to identify specific mechanisms of sophisticated humor, we attempt to identify the visual or verbal triggers of overlap of the two worlds in question, and discuss comic mechanisms of sophistication, including attributions of desire, belief and intention (purpose) to characters or the narrator as commentators on events or situations.

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to highlight the relevance of reactance theory for modeling consumer responses to COVID restrictions. The study also aims to critically evaluate the appropriateness of the most established reactance model (the intertwined model) for studying reactance specifically in relation to freedom threats arising from measures aimed at combatting the spread of the pandemic.Design/methodology/approachFollowing a conceptual analysis of the intertwined model of reactance, structural equation modeling is applied to Rain's (2013) meta-analytic data to compare the model to alternative model specifications.FindingsThe analysis reveals both conceptual and statistical shortcomings of the intertwined model of reactance in its current/traditional form. It also draws attention to other model specifications that provide just as good statistical fit and offer promising alternative ways of modeling reactance in a COVID context.Originality/valueThe study is the first attempt to explicitly discuss conceptual and statistical problems associated with the most widely accepted model of reactance, illustrate these issues with specific reference to consumer reactions to COVID restrictions, identify alternative promising model specifications and suggest a respecification of the intertwined model.

The report provides recent macroeconomic developments, outlook, and risks that Mongolia faces. The timing of the release of this report is ideal considering that, the Mongolian economy, which was recovering from the COVID-19 on the back of a successful vaccination program and income support, faced new challenges due to tightening of global financing conditions, triggered by a surge in inflation in advanced economies. This development complicates Mongolia’s repayment of its large external debt. Mounting instability and heightened risks call for adjustments in macroeconomic policies. The report also includes a special topic on fiscal sustainability of the Mongolian pension scheme. A series of parametric reforms are recommended to improve the financial sustainability of the current pensions system, which relies heavily on budget subsidy. Produced in collaboration with the SPJ team, this discussion was timely considering a forthcoming pension reform to improve Mongolia’s long-term fiscal sustainability.