Policy learning and change during crisis: COVID‐19 policy responses across six states

Abstract

Whereas policy change is often characterized as a gradual and incremental process, effective crisis response necessitates that organizations adapt to evolving problems in near real time. Nowhere is this dynamic more evident than in the case of COVID‐19, which forced subnational governments to constantly adjust and recalibrate public health and disease mitigation measures in the face of changing patterns of viral transmission and the emergence of new information. This study assesses (a) the extent to which subnational policies changed over the course of the pandemic; (b) whether these changes are emblematic of policy learning; and (c) the drivers of these changes, namely changing political and public health conditions. Using a novel dataset analyzing each policy's content, including its timing of enactment, substantive focus, stringency, and similar variables, results indicate the pandemic response varied significantly across states. The states examined were responsive to both changing public health and political conditions. This study identifies patterns of preemptive policy learning , which denotes learning in anticipation of an emerging hazard. In doing so, the study provides important insights into the dynamics of policy learning and change during disaster.

Graduate education and government policy in times of crisis: a case study of the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Crow and colleagues reflected on policy change and learning during what they labelled as a “long duration crisis” (2023), emphasizing that not only is little known about what happens in such scenarios but also that such scenarios are increasingly commonplace. As an evolving long duration crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic spanned social boundaries and policy efforts were closely intertwined with problem indicators and political factors (Crow et al , 2023), making it difficult to define influences on policy framing, formation and outcomes.…”

Blame‐avoidance and fragmented crisis management during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Switzerland

“…Policy learning thus refers to such updates regarding the governance of specific policies. It occurs when policy actors “uptake new information about how to address a problem” that has been recognized as significant (Crow et al, 2023, p. 13). Importantly, “learning is a possible result of the ‘way of managing and responding to crises’” (Radaelli, 2022).…”

Multilevel interdependencies and policy capacity in Europe

“…The third article also deals with multilevel challenges focusing on crisis management during the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland. Mavrot and Sager (2024) apply a theoretical perspective of policy learning during crisis (Crow et al, 2022;Dunlop et al, 2018;Wang, 2023). They show a particular challenge of governance in federal states with a low concentration of power: while on the one hand consensus democracies can contribute to policy learning by including different interests and perspectives, these structures can also lead to suboptimal learning processes.…”