Responding to the COVID‐19 Crisis: Transformative Governance in Switzerland

Abstract

In the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) crisis, uncertain and experimental forms of governance have emerged. Administrative routines and established management techniques have dissolved amid emergency actions and management by the state of exception. We refer to these emerging governance forms as transformative governance. Discussing examples from Switzerland, we illustrate how policy responses to COVID‐19 reflect transformative governance. These examples raise four issues that characterize transformative governance research and practice: (i) the evidence base of policy‐making; (ii) the role of the state in transformative governance; (iii) the potential of experimental governance; and (iv) the paradigms driving policy change. Our study demonstrates that these issues imply different opportunities and risks of transformative governance, which we discuss in detail.

How Can Health Systems Better Prepare for the Next Pandemic? Lessons Learned From the Management of COVID-19 in Quebec (Canada)

“…Our analysis adopted a theoretically-informed narrative structure that integrates a factual chronology of key events related to the COVID-19 pandemic until the end of lockdown, after the first wave, to better contextualize the lessons learned (Table 2) (47). It follows the structure of Palagyi et al's (28) framework composed of "hardware" constructs that are: (1) surveillance;…”

“…In this context, PHAC has decided to publish guidelines and recommendations that the provinces may decide to adopt or not (116). As Willi et al stress, traditional modes of governance in a federal state can be threatened, or at least weakened, in times of crisis, particularly with regard to different and conflicting actions and priorities at the federal and provincial levels (47). Given Canada's political history, seeing such tensions resurface is not entirely surprising.…”

“…The aim was to provide clear and transparent answers to the public's questions (129). The feeling of abuse on the part of the population could undermine trust and transform it into mistrust (47).…”

Climate effects on the COVID-19 outbreak: a comparative analysis between the UAE and Switzerland

“…Since ongoing the worldwide pandemic status, the UAE as a frontier country in the Middle East rapidly reacted to the outbreak in March 2020 with strict and harsh preventive measurements (Bloukh et al 2020 ). As well in Switzerland, about two weeks after the first report of COVID-19 infection on March 13, the Federal Council started to tightly control the border to the surrounding countries (Willi et al 2020 ), and the first lockdown policy was taken to decide after 15 March (Sciré et al 2020 ). The results confirmed the positive relationships between confirmed cases of COVID-19 and ULR and aerosol index in the UAE and Switzerland, respectively.…”

Trust, Coordination and Multi-level Arrangements: Lessons for a European Health Union

“…Cantons work as policy laboratory where solutions are experimented with and tested on the ground; 31 federalism also facilitates the application of tailor-made policies that are adapted to each specific local situation (eg stricter bans in the cantons most affected by the pandemic). 32 At the same time, coordination devices are crucial to ensuring policy coherence and uniform nationwide implementation. In the management of the pandemic, inter-cantonal conferences have been instrumental not only in supporting the homogeneous implementation of the rules, but also in legitimising the progressive centralisation of competencies that has been enacted under the EpidA.…”