Causes of Effective Policy Implementation: China's public health response to SARS

This paper studies China's response to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003. It first assesses the current nature, structure and development of the Chinese infectious disease system, and then evaluates the state response to infectious disease epidemics. Turning to the role of non-state actors, it discusses their contributions to the state's efforts. Following a case study of Shaanxi province, it concludes that the SARS outbreak reveals the state's capacity to re-centralize power in the face of high-priority events. However, it also concludes that this government capacity alone, while necessary, is not sufficient to overcome SARS.