Governance Under Pressure: Successes and Failures During the COVID-19 Pandemic

By Elizabeth Pelish

The COVID-19 pandemic tested governance systems globally, revealing both strengths and weaknesses in public health infrastructure, crisis management, and institutional trust. While some nations demonstrated effective coordination and resilience, others, like the U.S., struggled with delayed responses, fragmented leadership, and eroding public confidence. This article examines how governance systems succeeded or failed under the pressure of COVID-19, drawing on various case studies and analyses.

Countries like New Zealand showcased effective governance through swift action and clear communication. The Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons Learned highlighted that the use of lockdowns and vaccine mandates helped curb the spread of COVID-19 but also eroded social cohesion and trust in the Government. It is a “Royal Commission of Inquiry appointed by the New Zealand Government to look at its official response to the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand,” with a focus on “[looking] at lessons learned from the Government response to prepare for future pandemics.” The report also acknowledged that misinformation and disinformation had contributed to the erosion of social cohesion and trust in the Government's pandemic response. The report also concluded that the repeated lockdowns in Auckland had “cumulative and multifaceted” impacts on the local economy, physical and mental health. Groups that were disproportionately affected by the lockdowns included Māori and Pasifika New Zealanders, as well as lower socio-economic communities and students in Auckland. The report credited efforts by Māori and other community groups with alleviating some of the “potential negative impacts” of the lockdown.

In contrast, several nations faced criticism for their handling of the pandemic. The UK's response was scrutinized in the book Failures of State, which argued that the British government underestimated the threat of the virus in early 2020, inadequately preparing and responding slowly to the outbreak, leading to shortages of PPE and linking the slow response to a high death toll compared to other nations. The book is particularly critical of the leadership of Prime Minister Boris Johnson during the crisis. This includes his non-attendance of five COBR briefings during early 2020 and suggests that he and others in the government were preoccupied with Brexit in early 2020.

In the United States, the Cato Institute identified multiple deficiencies in the federal government's response, categorizing them as planning failures, preparation failures, and implementation failures. Although failures occurred throughout the federal government and at the state and local levels, this discussion focuses on HHS because it would oversee Medicare for All.

The pandemic underscored the importance of transparent communication, coordinated leadership, as well as the investment in public health infrastructure. The United Nations Development Program emphasized that the pandemic demonstrated that a failure to address bottlenecks and other constraints can result in devastating loss of lives. The role of the local government and investment in the systems that provide accessible, and quality services is crucial to building resilience to future pandemics. Furthermore, the World Health Organization's delayed declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern was cited as a significant misstep. The virus spread outside the original outbreak area was recognized in several areas in January 2020, yet the WHO delayed in declaring the emergency until March 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic served as a stress test for governance systems worldwide. While some countries demonstrated resilience through proactive measures and effective communication, others faltered due to delayed responses and lack of coordination. Moving forward, it is imperative for nations to learn from these experiences, strengthening their public health infrastructures and ensuring transparent, decisive leadership in the face of future crises.

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