The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global multidimensional crisis, one of its impacts being the crisis on the informal economy. This paper presents a review of the effects of this pandemic on the informal economy, coupled with empirical evidence based on surveys conducted in Indonesia. Data used in this study was collected by an online survey during the pandemic. Theoretically, there are two points of view about the informal economy roles during a crisis: optimistic views that see informal economy survive in a crisis and pessimistic views that see the ongoing informal economy continue to suffer losses and also informal workers as vulnerable groups during a crisis. The research also discussed the impacts of the crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic on informal employments and incomes, readiness in dealing with the pandemic, and the livelihood conditions of informal workers. The crisis as a result of this pandemic provides a new experience for the informal sector in dealing with the crisis. The informal sector is not always a hero during the crisis but rather an alternative sector that offers business flexibility.

The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology presents promising opportunities to improve disaster management’s effectiveness and efficiency, particularly with the rising risk of natural hazards globally. This study used the Scopus database to offer a bibliometric review of AI applications in disaster management. Publications were chosen based on research scope (natural hazards), source type (journals and conference proceedings), document type (articles, conference papers and reviews) and language (English). VOSviewer and Biblioshiny were utilised to analyse trends and scientific mapping from 848 publications. The finding shows a rapid increase in AI studies for disaster management, with an annual growth rate of 15.61%. The leading source was the International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences – ISPRS Archives. Amir Mosavi was the most prolific author, with 10 documents. The analysis reveals that China was the most productive country, while the United States was the most cited. Six research clusters were identified through keyword network mapping: (1) disaster monitoring and prediction using IoT networks, (2) AI-based geospatial technology for risk management, (3) decision support systems for disaster emergency management, (4) social media analysis for emergency response, (5) machine learning algorithms for disaster risk reduction, and (6) big data and deep learning for disaster management. Contribution: This research contributes by mapping the application of AI technology in disaster management based on peer-reviewed literature. This helps identify major developments, research hotspots, and gaps.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the public health system and socioeconomic sector, one of the worst being the impacts on the informal economy. Despite their past survival, the current pandemic-induced crisis has cast doubt on informal economy resilience. This study aims to capture the informal economy resilience facing the unprecedented economic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. We reviewed 42 selected peer-reviewed journal articles to synthesise a general concept of informal economy resilience during pandemic-induced crisis. We found that strict lockdown during a pandemic becomes the main driver that exacerbates the vulnerability of informal economy. The impacts are spatiotemporally varied, different within the group, and have multilevel characteristics (from individual to society). This vulnerable condition has triggered the informal economy to conduct several coping mechanisms to face economic disadvantages. Both individual coping mechanisms and government intervention have altered the informal economy's resilience throughout time. The current combination of defense mechanisms results in four possibilities: bounce back better, bounce back, recover but worsen, and collapse. This review offers valuable insights into the appropriate actions that governments should undertake in response to economic downturns resulting from pandemics. It highlights the importance of considering vulnerable groups when formulating policy during a crisis.