COVID-19, Public Management, and Survival of East European Democracies

The authors analyze the impact of COVID-19 on both public administration and the survival of democracy in Eastern Europe. They conclude that the more democratic states in the north, better handled administrative challenges such as corruption, accountability, trust, disease deaths, and election stability than did the states in the south.

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COVID-19, Public Management, and Survival of East European Democracies centers initially on the development of democracy in fourteen states of Eastern Europe, with an emphasis on the distinction between the seven Baltic and East Central European states in the north and the seven Balkan states in the south. Examination of key events of the political history of the two regions reveals that a participant political culture as the anchor of democracy was more developed in the north than in the south. Important measures of democracy as well as election results during the 2020-22 period of the COVID-19 outbreak demonstrate and reinforce the same distinctions between the two regions. Further, this detailed study of public administration problems such as corruption, accountability, trust, and the number of deaths from COVID-19 also disclose that such problems characterized both regions but were more pronounced in the southern states. In addition, the rise of populism and authoritarianism injected severe challenges in the midst of administrative preoccupation with the many harmful effects of the virus.