ThoughtGallery.org > [WEBCAST] Democracy and Authoritarianism Under COVID-19

[WEBCAST] Democracy and Authoritarianism Under COVID-19

The novel coronavirus pandemic has challenged governments across the world as they struggle to manage the tremendous public health challenge posed by COVID-19 while trying to avoid economic collapse. There has been ample discussion about which countries have managed the crisis well thus far and which have not, and an ensuing debate about what kinds of governments have been most effective. Some have attributed the initial failure to share information about COVID-19’s potential seriousness and impact to China’s closed political system. At the same time, top-down systems such as China’s may have certain advantages in their ability to institute and enforce lockdowns, social distancing, and mask-wearing. On the other hand, the difficulties many democratic nations — particularly in the West — have faced in slowing the spread of the virus have raised concerns about the ability of democratic systems to effectively handle this type of challenge.

Are democracies or authoritarian states better equipped to deal with public health crises? What are the specific vulnerabilities and advantages that different regime types have in dealing with pandemics? Are there other factors — from state capacity, to public trust in institutions, to the strength of health care systems – that better explain the variance in the efficacy of government responses globally? Which countries have handled the crisis best? And what lessons should policymakers glean from the coronavirus crisis thus far?

To answer these questions and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of government responses globally, the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) is pleased to host a discussion with renowned journalist, author, and political scientist Fareed Zakaria. ASPI President The Hon. Kevin Rudd will join Zakaria in conversation about the experience of democratic and authoritarian states under COVID-19.

This program is part of the Asia Society Policy Institute’s (ASPI) series entitled “Coronavirus, Asia, and the World.” ASPI presents web-only programs twice weekly to analyze the scope of the ramifications from the novel coronavirus across the Asia-Pacific region and the world. All events will be live-streamed on YouTube and Facebook. For information about future events in this series and for ASPI’s additional coronavirus content see here.











When: Tue., Jun. 2, 2020 at 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Where: Asia Society and Museum
725 Park Ave.
212-288-6400
Price: Free
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The novel coronavirus pandemic has challenged governments across the world as they struggle to manage the tremendous public health challenge posed by COVID-19 while trying to avoid economic collapse. There has been ample discussion about which countries have managed the crisis well thus far and which have not, and an ensuing debate about what kinds of governments have been most effective. Some have attributed the initial failure to share information about COVID-19’s potential seriousness and impact to China’s closed political system. At the same time, top-down systems such as China’s may have certain advantages in their ability to institute and enforce lockdowns, social distancing, and mask-wearing. On the other hand, the difficulties many democratic nations — particularly in the West — have faced in slowing the spread of the virus have raised concerns about the ability of democratic systems to effectively handle this type of challenge.

Are democracies or authoritarian states better equipped to deal with public health crises? What are the specific vulnerabilities and advantages that different regime types have in dealing with pandemics? Are there other factors — from state capacity, to public trust in institutions, to the strength of health care systems – that better explain the variance in the efficacy of government responses globally? Which countries have handled the crisis best? And what lessons should policymakers glean from the coronavirus crisis thus far?

To answer these questions and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of government responses globally, the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) is pleased to host a discussion with renowned journalist, author, and political scientist Fareed Zakaria. ASPI President The Hon. Kevin Rudd will join Zakaria in conversation about the experience of democratic and authoritarian states under COVID-19.

This program is part of the Asia Society Policy Institute’s (ASPI) series entitled “Coronavirus, Asia, and the World.” ASPI presents web-only programs twice weekly to analyze the scope of the ramifications from the novel coronavirus across the Asia-Pacific region and the world. All events will be live-streamed on YouTube and Facebook. For information about future events in this series and for ASPI’s additional coronavirus content see here.

Buy tickets/get more info now