Novel virus, novel response: Local discretion and responses to COVID‐19 in Hebei Province, China

Abstract

The Chinese Communist Party is consolidating one party rule under the leadership of Xi Jinping. Beijing seeks to rule by central mandate while limiting local autonomy. The central government response to the COVID‐19 public health emergency reinforces this view. In January 2020 Beijing established the Central Epidemic Response Leading Group to mobilise a comprehensive nationwide policy effort to contain the virus. The exceptional nature of the COVID‐19 national emergency allows the central government to project power over local authorities and leverage over citizens, but we argue that this is a short‐term phenomenon because local disease control initiatives remain important, with local authorities adapting national policies to meet constituent needs. There are degrees of policy discretion and divergence at the subnational level that enable context‐specific responses to the virus within China’s strict bureaucratic hierarchy. Primary data derives from interviews and observations in Nancun village, Hebei Province, conducted from January to April 2020. Evidence from Nancun explains how local authorities interpret the edicts and mandates of the central government.

Implications of COVID-19 for Climate Governance in China: The Rise of an Eco-Surveillance State?

“…China's commitment to zero-COVID is founded on an unprecedented level of invasive mass surveillance to monitor and control the population [1,2]. Scholars have discussed the likelihood that surveillance could be accepted as the norm after the pandemic has passed [3][4][5].…”