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Democracy, Autocracy, and Emergency Threats: Lessons for COVID-19 From the Last Thousand Years

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  • Stasavage, David

Abstract

Our experience with COVID-19 has yet to show that either democracies or autocracies are unambiguously better at dealing with this threat. What the pandemic has instead demonstrated is that these two forms of government each have specific strengths and weaknesses when it comes to dealing with external emergencies. In autocracies centralization of power allows for decisive action, but their ability to maintain secrecy means that they can also suppress information and ignore a problem. In a democracy greater transparency makes it hard to cover up a threat, but the decentralization of power that is inherent to a democracy can lead to a slow and potentially ineffective response. Using both current and historical comparisons between China and western countries, I show that these different patterns have deep roots, dating back a thousand years or more. I then consider three alternative proposals for democracies to be able to act more decisively: allowing for rule by decree, devolving responsibility to localities, and investing in preventative state capacity. History shows that the latter of these three is the safest and most effective strategy, but for it to work voters must reward politicians for investing in prevention. Unfortunately, this reward cannot be assumed.

Suggested Citation

  • Stasavage, David, 2020. "Democracy, Autocracy, and Emergency Threats: Lessons for COVID-19 From the Last Thousand Years," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 74(S1), pages 1-17, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:cup:intorg:v:74:y:2020:i:s1:p:e1-e17_1
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    As found on the RePEc Biblio, the curated bibliography for Economics:
    1. > Economics of Welfare > Health Economics > Economics of Pandemics > Preparation

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    Cited by:

    1. Riccardo Ladini & Nicola Maggini, 2023. "The role of party preferences in explaining acceptance of freedom restrictions in a pandemic context: the Italian case," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 99-123, April.
    2. Ji, Chengyuan & Jiang, Junyan & Zhang, Yujin, 2024. "Political trust and government performance in the time of COVID-19," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    3. Michael Bayerlein & Vanessa A. Boese & Scott Gates & Katrin Kamin & Syed Mansoob Murshed, 2021. "Populism and COVID-19: How Populist Governments (Mis)Handle the Pandemic," Journal of Political Institutions and Political Economy, now publishers, vol. 2(3), pages 389-428, December.
    4. Lorena G Barberia & Maria Leticia Claro Oliveira & Andrea Junqueira & Natália de Paula Moreira & Guy D. Whitten, 2021. "Should I stay or should I go? Embracing causal heterogeneity in the study of pandemic policy and citizen behavior," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 102(5), pages 2055-2069, September.
    5. Giorgio Brosio, Riccardo Pelosi, Roberto Zanola, 2022. "Short-term exit from pandemic restrictions: did European countries' speed converge?," European Journal of Comparative Economics, Cattaneo University (LIUC), vol. 19(2), pages 145-159, December.
    6. Nadja Katharina Meichle & Manuel Torres Lajo, 2021. "Mask Independency: Taiwan's response to mask shortage in the COVID-19 pandemic," The CoronaNet Researchers Working Paper Series 03/2021, CoronaNet Research Project, revised Jun 2022.
    7. Biondo, A.E. & Brosio, G. & Pluchino, A. & Zanola, R., 2022. "Authoritarianism vs. democracy: Simulating responses to disease outbreaks," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 594(C).
    8. Fei Li & Jidong Zhou, 2020. "A Model of Crisis Management," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 2266, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University.
    9. Boese-Schlosser, Vanessa A. & Bayerlein, Michael & Gates, Scott & Kamin, Katrin & Murshed, Syed Mansoob, 2023. "Trust issues? How being socialised in an autocracy shapes vaccine uptake," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Transformations of Democracy SP V 2023-502, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.

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