The political economy of the<scp>COVID</scp>‐19 pandemic

Boettke, Peter J.; Powell, Benjamin

doi:10.1002/soej.12488

Cited by 83 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 39 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…One lesson from the response to COVID-19 for other areas of public health is to support the construction of evidence to motivate collaborative action by highlighting (a) the relevance of collaboration among sectors to tackle other public health problems and (b) linkages between health policy and other areas of the economy. 33 Thirdly, an underlying motivation for the intervention of both sectors in the response to COVID-19 in the country, was that their actions could amount to further recognition and reputational legitimacy. In addition to a sense of commitment, there was competition within and among private organizations and universities for responding to the crisis using research, resources, infrastructure, or skills.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Intersectoral Action in Response to COVID-19: A Qualitative Study of the Roles of Academia and the Private Sector in Colombia

Turner

Ulloa

Niño

et al. 2021

Int J Health Policy Manag

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: The integration of health services with other sectors is hypothesised to support adaptation of health systems in response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study identified barriers and enablers associated with intersectoral coordination at an early stage of the pandemic. The study focused on the roles played by the academic and private sector in different areas of public health planning and delivery concerning COVID-19 in Colombia. Methods: A qualitative approach was used to understand stakeholders’ experiences and perceptions of intersectoral working in response to COVID-19 in three Colombian cities (Bogotá, Cali and Cartagena). Between March and November 2020, data was collected via semi-structured interviews conducted online with 42 key actors, including representatives of governmental bodies, universities, and professional associations. The dataset was analysed thematically using a combination of inductive and deductive methods. Results: Organizations adjacent to the health system, including universities and the private sector, supported responses to COVID-19 by providing evidence to inform decision-making, additional service capacity, and supporting coordination (eg, convening intersectoral "roundtables"). The academic and private sector involvement in intersectoral coordination was stimulated by solidarity (being the "right thing to do") and motivation for supporting local companies (reopening the economy). Intersectoral working was influenced by pre-existing (substantive) and emerging (situational) enablers and barriers. Conclusion: This study showed that intersectoral coordination has played an important role in responding to COVID-19 in Colombia. Coordination was influenced by substantive and situational enablers and barriers. Based on our findings, policy-makers should focus on addressing substantive barriers to coordination, including the pre-existing tensions and mistrust among national and local healthcare actors, strict regulations and limited financial and human resources, while providing support for situational enablers, including alignment of public and private actors’ interests, intersectoral government support and establishing frequent communication channels and formal spaces of interaction among sector, in processes of decision-making.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Intersectoral Action in Response to COVID-19: A Qualitative Study of the Roles of Academia and the Private Sector in Colombia

Turner

Ulloa

Niño

et al. 2021

Int J Health Policy Manag

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Thus, the government ended up giving in favor of firms, through the general increase in regulations, and against consumers, favoring the rise in electricity bills. Furthermore, the COVID-19 crisis forced the government of Spain to reduce premiums to the renewable energy industry, but political barriers to entry did not change [77,78]. This choice strengthened the legal oligopoly and intensified the tariff deficit, contributing to the 80% increase in the price of electricity for consumers in the last decade.…”

Section: The Case Of Spainmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Political Economy of Rent-Seeking: Evidence from Spain’s Support Policies for Renewable Energy

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper provides a theoretical framework to explore how the support policies for renewable energies can promote rent-seeking incentives in private firms. We develop a political economy of rent-seeking that considers the link between the regulatory decisions of political agents and the potential scope of socially wasteful pursuits. We argue that systematic public support schemes bring rent-seeking as a perception shared by entrepreneurs that influencing political allocations of resources is an essential and potentially preferable source of private profit than other for-profit economic avenues. As evidence of our claims, the framework is applied to the case of Spain to illustrate the economic effects of support policies on the production and distribution of renewable energy. We find rent-seeking behavior in Spain’s renewable energy industry, and precisely that: (i) political regulations have induced market concentration and rent-seeking in renewable energy firms, (ii) these firms have required increasing regulations and premiums to survive, and (iii) energy consumers are forced to pay rent-seeking through increasingly expensive electricity bills. The analysis reveals some challenges and opportunities to drive efficient market-based policies to strengthen entrepreneurial competition and curb rent-seeking behavior. These insights have relevant proposals for the Spanish energy industry in complying with the EU Green Deal through a sustainable transition and comprehensive growth.

show abstract

“…According to two commentators, "a political economy perspective challenges the assumptions of omniscience and benevolence of all actors-politicians, regulators, scientists, and members of the public-in response to the pandemic. We live in an imperfect world, populated by imperfect beings, who interact in imperfect institutional environments" (Boettke and Powell 2021).…”

Section: The Domestic Domainmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Politics of the COVID-19 Pandemic in India

Purushothaman

Moolakkattu

2021

Social Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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.

show abstract

The political economy of theCOVID‐19 pandemic

Cited by 83 publications

References 39 publications

The Role of Intersectoral Action in Response to COVID-19: A Qualitative Study of the Roles of Academia and the Private Sector in Colombia

The Role of Intersectoral Action in Response to COVID-19: A Qualitative Study of the Roles of Academia and the Private Sector in Colombia

The Political Economy of Rent-Seeking: Evidence from Spain’s Support Policies for Renewable Energy

The Politics of the COVID-19 Pandemic in India

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About