The role of digitization in easing access to services in times of crisis

Rima Kalush

Chapter 33 in Handbook of Research on Migration, COVID-19 and Cities, 2025, pp 587-609 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: COVID-19 hastened the digitalization of services ranging from healthcare to finance, humanitarian aid, and routine bureaucratic procedures. Researchers have documented that the “digital divides” that manifest in relation to age, location, disability, and class resulted in unequal access to services. While accurate, this term can obscure the fact that these neglected populations are not just on the margins of technology, but often on the margins of society. This chapter examines the digitalization of services in the Gulf during the COVID-19 pandemic. It argues that where digitalization has been most successful is in the deepening of migrants’ social networks online, which facilitated mutual-aid support more efficiently and more in line with migrants’ needs than did government initiatives. Primary sources will include Migrant-Rights.org's own experiences with COVID-19 relief work in the region, in addition to those of other non-governmental organizations, individual advocates, and donors working across the region's migration corridors.

Keywords: Digitalization; Gulf Cooperation Council; COVID-19; Access to Services (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035301225
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