COVID-19 Pandemic in India Points to Need for a Decentralized Response
A. Shringare, Seema Fernandes
Abstract
The inter-governmental response to the COVID-19 pandemic in India not only revealed centralized tendencies but also exposed weaknesses in the administrative and planning processes needed for a cohesive but flexible national response. This paper highlights some of the subnational states’ early responses to increasing COVID-19 cases and argues that, while India resorted to centralized measures to deal with the pandemic, a decentralized response may have proved more beneficial. Policy recommendations following this line of thinking conclude the article.
Topics & Concepts
PandemicCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Crisis response2019-20 coronavirus outbreakPolitical scienceSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)Emergency responseDevelopment economicsEconomic growthPublic administrationBusinessEconomicsPublic relationsMedicineVirologyMedical emergencyOutbreakDiseaseInfectious disease (medical specialty)PathologyCOVID-19 epidemiological studiesCOVID-19 Pandemic ImpactsSouth Asian Studies and Conflicts