Government Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic

This book examines how governments around the world responded to the health emergency created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Before vaccines became available, non-medical interventions were the main means to protect the public. Non-medical interventions were put in place by governments as public health policies. In every nation, politicians and governments faced a choice situation, and worldwide, they made different choices. Public health policies came at a price, in economic, social, and ultimately electoral costs to the political incumbents. The book discusses differences in governments' policy efforts to mitigate the virus spread. The authors conduct in-depth analysis of country-cases from Africa, North and South America, Asia, and Europe. They also offer small-n- comparative analyses as well as report global patterns and trends of governments' responsiveness to the medical emergency. It will appeal to all those interested in public policy, health policy and governance.

Examines how governments around the world responded to the COVID-19 pandemic Presents evidence from around the world, including Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe Offers institutional and strategic explanations for the choices that were made by various governments

Autorentext

Olga Shvetsova is Professor of Political Science and Economics, and Scientific Director of the COVID-19 Policy Response Lab at Binghamton University, USA

Inhalt

Chapter 1. Governments and the COVID-19 pandemic: some general patterns and puzzles.- Chapter 2. COVID-19 response in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh: shared history, different process.- Chapter 3. An analysis of government responses to COVID-19 in Latin America's three federations.- Chapter 4. Pick your poison: political condition, economic structure, and COVID-19 response in Malaysia and Indonesia.- Chapter 5. Political entrepreneurship vs. parties: the importance of party linkage in young democracies.- Chapter 6. COVID-19 pandemic policy response and outcomes in the United Kingdom and the United States.- Chapter 7. Denmark, Finland, Italy, and Spain: the institutional underpinnings of policy making in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.- Chapter 8. Populist responses to COVID-19: the cases of Turkey and Israel.- Chapter 9. A few take-away observations.