ABSTRACT
Different from existing studies focusing on formal institutional factors, this study applies a configurational approach to exploring how cultural, institutional, and crisis-specific factors interplay to shape policymaking under extremely uncertain and risky circumstances. A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis of the COVID-19 first-response policies adopted by 31 countries reveals three pathways consistently leading to a more stringent first response, whereas the other two pathways consistently contributed to a less stringent one. The study advances comparative policy analysis by illuminating multiple configurations of cultural, institutional, and pandemic-specific factors that have shaped policymaking during the COIVD-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)