Show all projects

Home as a Policy Instrument: Emotional Boundaries of Home During the COVID-19 Quarantine Measures in Czechia

Around 1 in 5 people worldwide have experienced some form of quarantine measures to contain the COVID-19 Pandemic. These harsh measures unfolded emotional boundaries of a home. Rather than a material shelter, home appears as a sphere where satisfying emotional needs is primordial. This project conceptualizes ‘home’ as a policy instrument impacting how we design policies on emotional spheres of our lives, investigating three empirical areas that have made this debate apparent in Czechia: homeschooling, joint custody, domestic violence. To do so, the project embeds the data in the sociological research on emotions and intimacy and mediates it with research in public policy on the remaining struggle to integrate emotional dimensions in the design of policy instruments. The project does not evaluate the appropriateness of the quarantine measures, nor does it bring answers whether they were well effectuated in Czechia. Through interviews, focus groups and document analysis the project brings evidence of the Czech discussion on home thereby elaborating upon emotions’ role in public policy.

Share this project with others