Comparing SARS and COVID-19: Challenges of Governance Capacity and Legitimacy

ABSTRACT

Governance capacity and legitimacy as two important dimensions in crisis management are crucial for preparing for, making sense of, handling, and learning from crises like epidemics/pandemics. We compare governance capacity and legitimacy of the government in China in response to the SARS and COVID-19 pandemics. Our comparison of the handling processes of two pandemics suggests both positive changes and persistent inertia. Both governance capacity and legitimacy has been improved over time, and there is a tendency that they reinforce each other. Such comparisons help to facilitate learning from the past to be better prepared for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Public Organization Review is the property of Springer Nature 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.)