Pandemic and lockdown: a territorial approach to COVID-19 in China, Italy and the United States
Xuefei Ren
Abstract
Three months into the Covid-19 crisis, lockdown has become a global response to the pandemic. Why have so many countries resorted to lockdown? How is it being implemented in different places? Why have some places had more success with lockdowns and others not? What does the effectiveness of lockdowns tell us about the local institutions entrusted with enforcing them? This paper compares how lockdown orders have been implemented in China, Italy, and the U.S. The analysis points to two major factors that have shaped the enforcement: tensions between national and local governments, and the strength of local territorial institutions.
Topics & Concepts
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)ChinaPandemic2019-20 coronavirus outbreakSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)EnforcementPolitical scienceEconomic growthGeographyDevelopment economicsRegional scienceEconomyEconomicsLawVirologyBiologyPathologyInfectious disease (medical specialty)DiseaseMedicineOutbreakCOVID-19 epidemiological studiesCOVID-19 Pandemic ImpactsCOVID-19 Digital Contact Tracing