The Pandemic and Democracy: Public Policy and the Rise of Populism in Western Countries

Dear Colleagues,

The rise of populism across the world, coupled with the Coronavirus pandemic, has created an unprecedented set of challenges for public administration and government in general. In some countries, authoritarian leaders have weakened the institutions of government, silenced technical experts, and spread conspiracy theories under the cloak of state authority. These leaders promote ultra-nationalism and harp on ‘the will of the people’, but in reality, they prefer to act unilaterally, stoke disharmony, and undermine the rule of law. Populist leaders threaten the foundations of democratic government and the pillars of civil society by denouncing truth, challenging scientific knowledge, and evading political accountability. The end result is political disintegration, social division, rampant corruption, and jaw-dropping injustice for people of color, religious minorities, immigrants, and other marginalized groups. 

The signature policy agenda of populist leaders centers on instant gratification for their followers at the expense of all others. The cornerstones of this agenda are materialism, consumerism, and exploitation of human and natural resources. Populist leaders downplay climate change and tolerate environmental degradation in pursuit of economic growth. They thrive on conflict and sow seeds of discord in society, demonstrating a lack of compassion and empathy for human suffering. Populist leaders intensify identity politics, vilify their enemies, and force people to choose sides. They are intolerant of others and promote policies that harm vulnerable people. Their decision-making is driven by politics rather than evidence and public trust in government becomes highly partisan. 

Against this dystopian backdrop, the Coronavirus pandemic has delivered a sudden, massive jolt that is reverberating across the planet. People everywhere are threatened by this unprecedented public health crisis that requires strong, decisive leadership and evidence-based public policy with purposeful implementation. This is a huge challenge in an environment where strong national leadership is absent, administrative institutions are compromised, and subordinate officials lack the authority and resources needed to overcome massive logistical problems on one hand, and the will and skill to mitigate the pandemic on the other. Certainly, the textbooks on politics and public policy are being rewritten with the blood of nearly a million Coronavirus victims worldwide, and counting.

Some scientific journals in the allied fields of public administration and public policy are planning special issues to address various elements of the Coronavirus pandemic, including the overburdened health care system, the disparate impact on minorities and other vulnerable people, and the dire financial consequences of the virus, which include Depression-era unemployment and a vortex of declining economic indicators. This Special Issue will focus on the problem of populist political leaders who are charged with leading their countries through this unprecedented public health crisis. These leaders, like all leaders, should work toward ensuring the environmental, cultural, economic, and social sustainability of human beings in their respective countries and across the globe. Some observers suggest that populist leaders have been less effective than other leaders in this regard. Some populist leaders have even weaponized the virus to push through authoritarian measures and tighten their grip on power. As such, this Special Issue is dedicated to the hope that scientific inquiry will help civilization to overcome these grim threats.

The theme of this Special Issue is presented as a set of research questions that invite scholarly inquiry:

• What is populism, how has it spread, and what are the leadership characteristics of populist politicians?
• What conditions facilitate the spread of populism and the rise of populist leaders?
• How have these leaders weakened the institutions of government, and especially public administration and public policy, in their respective countries?
• How effective have these leaders been in addressing the Coronavirus pandemic and related events? Are traditional political leaders doing a better job of controlling the virus than populist leaders? If so, how so, and to what extent?
• More generally, what lessons have been learned about the leadership style of populist leaders and their capacity for coping with urgent public crises such as the Coronavirus pandemic?
• How well does the populist policy agenda mesh with the unique challenges posed by the virus and other urgent public crises that threaten the environmental, cultural, economic, and social well-being of human beings and the planet?
• How have populist leaders and the populist agenda undermined scientific knowledge and aspirations for evidenced-based public policy? What do they substitute for it?
• Without effective leadership, policy, and resources from the top, how do subordinate officials at lower levels cope with these challenges? Are there any strategies or examples worth sharing?
• Finally, what have populist leaders and the Coronavirus pandemic taught us about governing diverse, democratic societies in times of crisis? Are there any takeaways?

Interested scholars are encouraged to join arms and contribute to this Special Issue. 
Contributions have to follow one of the three categories of papers (article, conceptual paper or review) of the journal and address the topic of the special issue.

Prof. Dr. Gene A. Brewer
Guest Editor

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• populism
• populist leaders
• coronavirus pandemic
• urgent public crises
• public administration
• public policy
• evidence-based policy