The Kerala model in the time of COVID19: Rethinking state, society and democracy

Chathukulam, Jos; Tharamangalam, Joseph

doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105207

Cited by 68 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 7 publications

(7 reference statements)

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“…Kerala adopted a multipronged strategy to contain the spread of the virus and 'flatten the curve' including mass testing, quarantine, and support for the poor (Menon et al, 2020). For example, Kerala promoted wearing masks from as early as January and by the beginning of March, the government took additional precautionary measures including shutting down secondary and tertiary schools, asking religious and other groups to cancel all gatherings, including marriages and encouraging social distancing (Chathukulam and Tharamangalam, 2021). In terms of social welfare, the state government home-delivered free meals for school children and instructed internet service providers to increase bandwidth to encourage work from home (Sadanandan, 2020).…”

Section: Gujaratmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 in India: A Comparative Analysis of the Kerala and Gujarat Development Models’ Initial Responses

Israelsen

Malji

2021

Progress in Development Studies

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Significant variations in infection, testing, and mortality rates have exposed key differences in the initial COVID-19 response by Indian states. At the onset of the pandemic, states like Gujarat, known for its large economic output, suffered high COVID-19 case fatality rates, a disorganized response, and poor access to healthcare. In contrast, Kerala, a less industrialized state on India’s southwestern coast, experienced low infection rates and fatalities. The low case fatality rate was accompanied by widespread access to care, extensive testing, and an organized response by the state. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic provides an opportunity to compare how the Gujarat and Kerala models performed. Since 2000, the Gujarat model has emphasized industrialization and economic development, often at the expense of social development. In contrast, the Kerala model emphasizes social development, often at the expense of economic development. This article analyses the initial response to COVID-19 by Kerala and Gujarat and finds that the Kerala model and its emphasis on social development helped the state respond more effectively to the first wave of the pandemic compared to Gujarat.

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Section: Gujaratmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 in India: A Comparative Analysis of the Kerala and Gujarat Development Models’ Initial Responses

Israelsen

Malji

2021

Progress in Development Studies

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“…The message comprehension and penetration still high but effectiveness low. Newer confounding factors have emerged contributing to the second wave (Chathukulam & Tharamangalam, 2021 )). One of the critical factors was the return of the state's migrants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of effective crisis communication by the government in managing the first wave Covid‐19 pandemic – A study of Kerala government's success

Sanjeev

Pande

2021

Journal of Public Affairs

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Effective crisis communication is critical for successful crisis management. The current study is an attempt to unravel the public communication efforts of the Kerala government in its successful Covid‐19 crisis management efforts during the first wave of the pandemic. The findings of the study indicate that the government has successfully used pre‐crisis communication to inoculate the stakeholders, ‘steal thunder’, and bolster their crisis management capabilities. Effective crisis communication, by the government, has ensured proper information management, media management, right supportive action, and direct communication with stakeholders. Effective communication has also helped the government in garnering favourable constituent attribution, positive framing, positive affect in stakeholder, and enlist active stakeholder participation in crisis management; resulting in, effective crisis management and enhanced reputation for the government. The study unravels the best practices of the Kerala government, in public crisis communication, during the pre‐crisis and crisis stages of the first wave of the pandemic and proposes a Kerala model of crisis communication. The model can be used as a reference for future government communication efforts during a crisis across geographies.

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“…The opposition highlighted several scams that took place during the height of the COVID-19 containment period, with bureaucrats close to the Chief Minister himself being involved. But in states such as Gujarat, the decision-making power rested primarily with the bureaucracy-municipal commissioners, district collectors, and health officers-making pandemic management a largely top-down initiative (Chatterji et al 2021;Chathukulam and Tharamangalam 2020).…”

Section: The Example Of Keralamentioning

confidence: 99%

The Politics of the COVID-19 Pandemic in India

Purushothaman

Moolakkattu

2021

Social Sciences

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India responded to the COVID-19 measures abruptly and in a tough manner during the early stages of the pandemic. Its response did not take into consideration the socio-economic life of the majority of people in India who work in the informal sector and the sheer diversity of the country. The imposition of a nationwide lockdown using the Disaster Management Act 2005 enabled the Union Government to impose its will on the whole country. India has a federal system, and health is a state subject. Such an overbearing role on the part of the Central Government did not, however, lead to coordinated action. Some states expressed their differences, but eventually all complied with the central guidelines. The COVID-19 pandemic struck at a time when an agitation was going on in the country, especially in New Delhi, against the Citizen Amendment Act. The lockdown was imposed all of a sudden and was extended until May 31. This led to a humanitarian crisis involving a large number of domestic migrant workers, who were left stranded with no income for survival and no means of transport to go home. Indians abroad who were intending to return also found themselves trapped. Dissenting voices were silenced through arrests and detentions during this period, and the victims included rights activists, students, lawyers, and even some academics. Power tussles and elections continued as usual and the social distancing norms were often compromised. Since COVID-19 containment measures were carried out primarily at the state level, this paper will also selectively draw on their experiences. India also used the opportunity to burnish its credentials as the ‘pharmacy of the world’ by sending medical supplies to over a hundred countries. In the second wave, there were many deaths, but the government was accused of undercounting them and of not doing enough to deliver vaccines to Indians. This paper will deal with the conflicts, contestations and the foreign policy fallout following the onset of the pandemic and the measures adopted by the union government to cope with them, with less focus on the economic and epidemiological aspects of pandemic management. This paper looks at previous studies, press reports, and press releases by government agencies to collect the needed data. A descriptive and analytical approach is followed in the paper.

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The Kerala model in the time of COVID19: Rethinking state, society and democracy

Cited by 68 publications

References 7 publications

COVID-19 in India: A Comparative Analysis of the Kerala and Gujarat Development Models’ Initial Responses

COVID-19 in India: A Comparative Analysis of the Kerala and Gujarat Development Models’ Initial Responses

Role of effective crisis communication by the government in managing the first wave Covid‐19 pandemic – A study of Kerala government's success

The Politics of the COVID-19 Pandemic in India

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