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Stable political factors were decisive in combating the pandemic crisis
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Friday, 12/10/2021
During the first phase of response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Portuguese case was hailed as a “miracle," a reflection of the appreciation that the country had acted swiftly and adopted strict measures and came out with exceptional casualties, especially when compared to other Southern European countries.
With the purpose of understanding this event, Edna Costa, professor of the Department of Political Science at the School of Economics and Management, investigated the response given by the Government and the Head of State's role in order to stop the initial spread of the infection, from March to June 2020.
Throughout the article, it is shown that “politics and its state are important in dealing with sudden crises like the one we are currently experiencing." The authors conclude that the pandemic occurred at a time of political stability in Portugal, exceptional in the context of Southern Europe, which ensured significant levels of support from the opposition parties and citizens, who promptly accepted the measures taken by the Government. Besides, this situation also occurred in a climate of consensus among the principal political actors, experts, and the media on public health issues, which strengthened the frequent narrative of the crisis, crucial to the individual behaviour of citizens. On the other hand, the centralisation of power and decision-making, at an administrative and organisational level, allowed for a cohesive political response, even taking into consideration the two autonomous regions that have a more prominent degree of autonomy and which adopted more rigorous measures in the management of the pandemic.
Edna Costa states that “the combination of these factors led to a premature response, but also an agile and effective one during the first phase, which gave the country excellent visibility in terms of effectiveness in fighting the pandemic."
The article was co-authored by Patrícia Silva and João Moniz, researchers at The Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies (GOVCOPP), University of Aveiro, and can be found at
https://doi.org/10.1080/13608746.2021.1979741
.
Gabinete de Comunicação
Escola de Economia e Gestão
Universidade do Minho
Telefone: 253 604541
e-mail:
gci@eeg.uminho.pt
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