Managing a Pandemic at a Less Than Global Scale: Governors Take the Lead Academic Article

abstract

• This article explores the roles played by state governments, and particularly governors, in dealing with an extremely disruptive eventthe coronavirus global pandemic. The inquiry focuses on March and April 2020, a period characterized by significant public health challenges and severe economic stress. The coronavirus pandemic did not affect states at the same time or with the same intensity and as a consequence, governors varied somewhat in terms of when they acted and which policies they adopted. As shown in the article, gubernatorial interactions with other states were at times cooperative, in other instances they were competitive. Two statesTexas and Pennsylvaniaare singled out for an examination of within-state dynamics. The article ends with brief reflections on the lessons of the coronavirus for public sector management in a federal system of government.

authors

• Bowman, Ann

published proceedings

• AMERICAN REVIEW OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

author list (cited authors)

• Bowman, A. O., & McKenzie, J. H.

citation count

• 10

complete list of authors

• Bowman, Ann O'M||McKenzie, James H

publication date

• August 2020

publisher

• SAGE Publications  Publisher

published in

• American Review of Public Administration  Journal

keywords

• Federalism
• Governors
• Pandemic
• Policy Adoption
• States

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1177/0275074020941700

start page

• 551

end page

• 559

volume

• 50

issue

• 6-7

URL

• http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0275074020941700