Political meritocracy and policy integration: How Chinese government combats the COVID‐19?

ABSTRACT

The COVID‐19 pandemic is fundamentally affecting the world by challenging governments. Although most countries are still combating the virus, China, as the first plagued country, has basically contained the pandemic. This review article aims to analyze and explain how the Chinese government has achieved this task. By tracing the detailed timeline of the pandemic, it dissects the political meritocracy and policy integration of the Chinese government, which are the main reasons for its policy efficiency and effectiveness. Meritocracy requires the government and politicians to respect science, knowledge, evidence, rationality, and professionalism, particularly within the background of populism and anti‐intellectualism. In a pandemic, the Chinese experience of political meritocracy and policy integration may balance conflicting public values better than liberal democratic nations. Global solidarity and cooperation during this pandemic can be better achieved if Chinese politics and policies are deeply understood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Asian Politics & Policy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell 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.)