Toward understanding the complexity of the COVID-19 crisis: a grounded theory approach

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to investigate the complexity of the COVID-19 crisis by using the grounded theory approach. It is a new approach based on a data set constituted from published papers, reports delivered by official organizations or research institutes, working papers, and public information in media. Each of these documents presents data, information, knowledge, and ideas, usually from a single perspective. The present research uses the method of grounded theory and constructs an integrated model of analysis that explores the complexity of the global crisis induced by COVID-19. For the present research, the data were extracted from published papers focused on different aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic induced economic crisis. That means a meta-analysis of the initial quantitative data but performed from a semantic perspective. The findings show that COVID-19 induced economic crisis is a complex phenomenon that is influenced directly and indirectly by the health system crisis, governmental policies, and behavior of people. The integrated model we got can be used as a tool in a further investigation for a deeper understanding of the complexity of COVID-19. The originality of this paper comes from creating a meta-analysis with the grounded theory of different aspects investigated in a series of papers and constructing a dynamic model capable of approaching the complexity of this Black Swan phenomenon.