Policy learning and change during crisis: COVID-19 policy responses across six states |
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Authors: | Deserai A. Crow Rob A. DeLeo Elizabeth A. Albright Kristin Taylor Tom Birkland Manli Zhang Elizabeth Koebele Nathan Jeschke Elizabeth A. Shanahan Caleb Cage |
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Affiliation: | 1. School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA;2. Department of Political Science, Bentley University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA;3. Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA;4. Department of Political Science, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA;5. Department of Public Administration, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA;6. Department of Political Science, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, Nevada, USA;7. Department of Political Science, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA |
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Abstract: | Whereas policy change is often characterized as a gradual and incremental process, effective crisis response necessitates that organizations adapt to evolving problems in near real time. Nowhere is this dynamic more evident than in the case of COVID-19, which forced subnational governments to constantly adjust and recalibrate public health and disease mitigation measures in the face of changing patterns of viral transmission and the emergence of new information. This study assesses (a) the extent to which subnational policies changed over the course of the pandemic; (b) whether these changes are emblematic of policy learning; and (c) the drivers of these changes, namely changing political and public health conditions. Using a novel dataset analyzing each policy's content, including its timing of enactment, substantive focus, stringency, and similar variables, results indicate the pandemic response varied significantly across states. The states examined were responsive to both changing public health and political conditions. This study identifies patterns of preemptive policy learning, which denotes learning in anticipation of an emerging hazard. In doing so, the study provides important insights into the dynamics of policy learning and change during disaster. |
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Keywords: | COVID-19 policy change policy learning state policymaking COVID-19 formulación de políticas estatales aprendizaje de políticas cambio de políticas 2019冠状病毒病 州级决策 政策学习 政策变革 |
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