The political science of Covid‐19: An introduction

Abstract

Political decisions, constellations, and behaviors exert a large influence of the dynamics of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (Sars‐CoV‐2) pandemic. Politics influences the choice of containment policies and the compliance with these policies—and therefore ultimately the epidemiological situation in each country, state, district, or even neighborhood. This introduction puts the articles collected in this special issue into the broader perspective of the social science literature on Covid‐19.

What accounts for the variation in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Eastern, Southern and Western Europe?

“…Third, it shows that the effects of age and education are non-linear and the one of age is direct and indirect (via vaccine-related beliefs). Overall, the article contributes to understanding how social and political attitudes, which significantly affect the fight against pandemics [ 9 ], are formed and sustained.…”

Desires of technocracy in pandemic times: A multilevel study

“…As the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus was previously unknown and there were no solid guidelines for dealing with it, political institutions resorted to a strategy of trial and error for long weeks and months after the pandemic broke out. In many countries, political institutions failed the tough stress test the virus represented (Barberia, Plümper, and Whitten 2021). For example, in the United States, face masks were not recommended indoors until December 2020 (Broudi et al 2022).…”

Managing the risk of COVID‐19 via vaccine passports: Modeling economic and policy implications

“…In other words, two nations (or two entities for that matter) would need to agree to honor the passports for them to offer potential benefits to passport holders. Since nations or states/provinces differ in their geopolitical significance, some nations with vested or strategic interests might be able to steer the passports to their advantage (e.g., favor their own vaccines over others) (also see Barberia et al, 2021 ). Furthermore, there may also be first‐mover advantages or inertia, where early signatories to passport agreements have some advantages over later entrants.…”