Social sciences and social justice in the design, implementation and evaluation of measures against COVID-19 - The case study of France in 2020

The social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been profound. This study uses France as a case study to analyze the role of social sciences in the COVID-19 response from March 2020 to February 2021. France’s national evaluation reports as well as other secondary sources were used to examine five social science aspects: (i) Basic public health measures in response to COVID-19, (ii) mental health, and cross-sectoral issues in social justice, such as (iii) communication, (iv) civil society and community involvement in decision-making and (v) inequities. Findings indicate poor consideration of inequities in the conception of basic measures such as wearing facemasks, hand hygiene, and social distancing, especially for vulnerable populations, while social components such as mental health, communication, and community engagement are lacking in the evaluation of France's COVID-19 response. Pandemic responses and evaluations of interventions must integrate social science aspects. To this effect, practical recommendations with policy implications are provided to pave the way toward social justice.