LIST OF PANELS

The COVID-19 crisis has revealed the fragility of the state health response to a pandemic. Some European countries have already seen the death toll going way above what governments considered would be a failure back in March 2020. COVID-19 has also shed light on the diversity in the health responses across Europe. Most of the new EU members states shut down late March or early April. Italy and to a lesser extent Germany imposed a far-reaching lockdown on activities while Sweden opted a mix of softer measures. The United Kingdom first decided for a strategy not dissimilar to the Swedish strategy but eventually did a radical U-turn in favor of a lockdown that remained nevertheless more modest than the Italian one.

This diversity has largely remained since. Governments design their own quarantine list of countries, issue different requirements for safe interactions and self-isolation and go back into a second lockdown in a different pace and scope. COVID-19 has highlighted more than just a diversity in the health responses. It has shown the vulnerability of EU countries in competing against global powers to purchase PPE. It is likely to show weakness in the future to purchase vaccine and more importantly to distribute it.

COVID-19 rapid spread and the mortality certainly explain the increasing attention toward the capacity of multilevel governance to coordinate response to pandemics and infectious diseases. The EU has received sharp criticisms for its incapacity to coordinate the health responses across the member states. Other multi-level systems have shown vulnerability to a crisis that seems to hinder their capacity for coordinating an efficient response.

The question arises to understand whether, how and under what conditions can multilevel governance enhance or hinder the policy response to the COVID-19 crisis.

This panel welcomes qualitative, in-depth studies, but also comparative large-n studies as well as theoretical work that focus at thoroughly investigating the multilevel policy response to crisis. The panel encourages contributions on the COVID-19 crisis and other crisis across time. The panel intends to attract empirical studies (single case study, small-n or large-n) investigating the dynamics and interplay in multilevel response to crisis within one country over time, across countries or levels, or across one or a range of crises. The panel welcomes contributions about Europe and outside Europe alike.

The COVID-19 crisis has revealed the fragility of the state health response to a pandemic. Some European countries have already seen the death toll going way above what governments considered would be a failure back in March 2020. COVID-19 has also shed light on the diversity in the health responses across Europe. Most of the new EU members states shut down late March or early April. Italy and to a lesser extent Germany imposed a far-reaching lockdown on activities while Sweden opted a mix of softer measures. The United Kingdom first decided for a strategy not dissimilar to the Swedish strategy but eventually did a radical U-turn in favor of a lockdown that remained nevertheless more modest than the Italian one.

This diversity has largely remained since. Governments design their own quarantine list of countries, issue different requirements for safe interactions and self-isolation and go back into a second lockdown in a different pace and scope. COVID-19 has highlighted more than just a diversity in the health responses. It has shown the vulnerability of EU countries in competing against global powers to purchase PPE. It is likely to show weakness in the future to purchase vaccine and more importantly to distribute it.

COVID-19 rapid spread and the mortality certainly explain the increasing attention toward the capacity of multilevel governance to coordinate response to pandemics and infectious diseases. The EU has received sharp criticisms for its incapacity to coordinate the health responses across the member states. Other multi-level systems have shown vulnerability to a crisis that seems to hinder their capacity for coordinating an efficient response.

The question arises to understand whether, how and under what conditions can multilevel governance enhance or hinder the policy response to the COVID-19 crisis.

This panel welcomes qualitative, in-depth studies, but also comparative large-n studies as well as theoretical work that focus at thoroughly investigating the multilevel policy response to crisis. The panel encourages contributions on the COVID-19 crisis and other crisis across time. The panel intends to attract empirical studies (single case study, small-n or large-n) investigating the dynamics and interplay in multilevel response to crisis within one country over time, across countries or levels, or across one or a range of crises. The panel welcomes contributions about Europe and outside Europe alike.