Government responses to COVID-19 : a comparative analysis of Visegrad countries

Koca, Zafer (author)

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare government responses and the challenges faced by public authorities in the Visegrad/V4 countries during the Covid-19 outbreak. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study is based on a comparative analysis method. In this study, we analysed government responses through literature review and data obtained from various databases. The data used in the study were collected from ourworldindata.org, OECD, WHO, World Bank, Eurostat databases, CoronaNET dataset and Covid-19 Government Response Tracker. Findings: The Visegrad countries did well during the initial phase of the Covid-19 pandemic. Compared to many other countries in Europe or in the world, they had less cases and lower death rates. What made them successful was timely and decisive reactions and harsh measures to curb Covid-19. They all implemented Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions strictly. Mandatory mask wearing, trust in the government and people’s tendency to obey the rules all helped V4 members in the fight against Covid-19. However, in two countries (Poland and Hungary) of the V4 Group, democracy was in decline during the outbreak. Practical Implications: The study shows that pandemics spread rapidly and affect many countries within a short time. They have a significant impact on public health, the economy, and social and political structures of the countries. In order to reduce or prevent their effects, the governments must provide a timely response. Timing is a key success factor in the fight against the pandemics and helps minimise the consequences thereof. Originality/Value: The study aims to contribute a detailed and comparative analysis of government responses and challenges of V4 countries in the fight against Covid-19 in the initial stage of the outbreak.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Covid-19, government responses, Visegrad countries, NPIs, policy responses
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FU - Faculty of Administration
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: Str. 57-84
• Numbering: Vol. 20, no. 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-137142
• UDC: 354:616-036.21
• ISSN on article: 2591-2240
• DOI: 10.17573/cepar.2022.1.03
• COBISS.SI-ID: 110087427

Note

Povzetek v slov. na koncu publikacije, str. 169.

• Publication date in RUL: 21.06.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Central European public administration review
• Publisher: Fakulteta za upravo
• ISSN: 2591-2240
• COBISS.SI-ID: 293849600

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.
• Licensing start date: 31.05.2022

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Vladni odzivi na covid-19 : primerjalna analiza držav višegrajske skupine

Abstract

Namen: Namen raziskave je ponuditi primerjavo vladnih odzivov in izzivov, s katerimi so se srečevale oblasti v državah Višegrajske skupine med izbruhom pandemije covida-19. Zasnova/Metodologija/Pristop: Raziskava temelji na metodi primerjalne analize. Vladni odzivi so analizirani s pomočjo pregleda literature in podatkov, pridobljenih iz različnih virov, npr. ourworldindata.org, OECD, WHO, Svetovne banke, Eurostata, CoronaNET in spletnega orodja za spremljanje odzivov oblasti na novi koronavirus (Covid-19 Government Response Tracker). Ugotovitve: Države Višegrajske skupine so se v začetni fazi uspešno soočile s pandemijo covida-19. V primerjavi s številnimi drugimi državami v Evropi ali po svetu so zabeležile manj obolelih in nižjo smrtnost. Uspešne so bile predvsem zahvaljujoč pravočasnemu in odločnemu odzivanju ter ostrim ukrepom za zajezitev bolezni. Povsod so se dosledno izvajali nefarmakološki ukrepi. K premagovanju covida-19 so v članicah Višegrajske skupine pomembno prispevali obvezno nošenje mask, zaupanje v vlado ter težnja prebivalstva k spoštovanju predpisov. Žal pa je v dveh državah skupine (Poljska in Madžarska) med pandemijo nazadovala demokracija. Vpliv v praksi: Raziskava kaže, da se pandemije hitro širijo in v kratkem času prizadenejo številne države. Imajo pomemben vpliv na javno zdravje, gospodarstvo ter družbene in politične strukture držav. Da bi zmanjšale ali preprečile njihove učinke, se morajo vlade odzvati hitro. Prav čas je ključni dejavnik uspeha v boju proti pandemiji in pri omilitvi njenih posledic. Izvirnost/Vrednost: Cilj raziskave je zagotoviti podrobno in primerjalno analizo vladnih odzivov in izzivov držav Višegrajske skupine v boju proti covidu-19 v začetni fazi pandemije.

• Keywords: covid-19, vladni odzivi, države Višegrajske skupine, nefarmakološki ukrepi, politični odzivi