During shepherding in Löðmundi, Landmannafrét, autumn 2023
Hugrún studied the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact of shock management in the reconstruction process. We are going to get to know Hugrún and her research a little better.
Name: Hugrún Hannesdóttir
Age: 49
Job: Expert in risk management at VSO Advising.
Your favorite place in Iceland? Difficult to answer, because there are quite a few and all of them in the highlands. Fjallabak is still in a special category and especially Lödmundur.
Who does the cooking in your home? Divided fairly evenly, each of us cooks.
What did you want to be when you grew up? Become a guide and travel around the country.
What book do you have on your bedside table? Gæfuspor by Gunnar Hersvein
Do you have pets? We have a cat and two dogs.
Coffee or tea? Coffee in general.
What is your main form of exercise? A variety of outdoor activities, running, walking, skiing.
What is the strangest thing you have eaten/tasted ? Hard to say, but the answer would probably be eating something in a foreign place and not knowing for sure what you were eating, for example in China or Ethiopia.
Summer, winter, spring or autumn? Can’t settle in between, every season is fascinating, not least from the varied outdoor activities.
Do you have a favorite spring bird? No, not really.
What is the most popular swimming pool (or swimming pool) in the country? The swimming pool at Ólafsfjörður.
If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go? Svalbard.
How do you contribute to better handling of the environment? By sorting and picking up trash if I see it.
What advice would you give to university students currently studying? Establishing a good organization turned out to be good for me and being an active participant in all group activities.
What is the connection of your research to South Iceland? My research was about Mýrdalshreppur, but it is also a contribution to a toolbox for smaller municipalities in Iceland.
Why did you choose this research topic? I found Mýrdalshreppur simply extremely exciting, based on the location as well as the great changes that have taken place in the municipality in a short time.
What did you enjoy most about the research work? Getting to know the wonderful people who live in the municipality.
Briefly tell us about the study and its results:
Crisis management refers to prevention, preparedness, response and recovery from trauma. In this study, crisis management is analyzed in a small municipality, Mýrdalshreppur, due to the social crisis involved in the COVID-19 pandemic. In an assessment by the Icelandic Regional Development Institute that was prepared for the government, Mýrdalshreppur was one of the municipalities that suffered the greatest economic decline due to the epidemic. The recovery process due to trauma has not been studied much in Iceland, but in this study, the effects of the government’s support measures for the economy are among the things examined. In this way, the study is an important contribution to the reconstruction toolbox of the future, along with other lessons it delivers to municipalities due to potential crisis.
Preparedness and response in Mýrdalshreppi are examined in detail in the project, where a qualitative study was used. Interviews were conducted with 14 responders and local residents to seek answers to the research questions. Crisis management shapes the theoretical foundation as well as the analytical framework of research.
The main results were decisive in the way that the government’s support had been of great significance, both actions at the national level and the specific support given to Mýrdalshreppi. The epidemic was a great challenge for the labour and employment in the municipality, but the local government made the decision right at the start of the outbreak to contribute to construction, which turned out to be a success. Visible constructions had a positive effect and residents experienced specific support as an acknowledgment that their situation was particularly difficult. The solidarity of the population was strong, but the challenges due to high population growth are significant, in the future.
We thank Hugrún very much for this post, but you can read her research and writing by clicking here .
Click here to read an academic article in the journal Politics and Administration.