Crisis coordination in centralized regimes: Explaining China's strategy for combatting the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Based on the existing literature on government policy and crisis management, this article provides an internal-external and vertical-horizontal coordination framework with which to study coordination in a highly centralized regime. Four types of top-down crisis coordination are introduced to explain how resources fragmented among various sectors, regions, levels, and organizations are swiftly mobilized and deployed to support a strong crisis response. The article’s analytical framework is applied to China’s strategy to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. It shows how the sequence of coordinative action combined all four types of crisis coordination and how the coordinative measures co-exist in a hybrid and layered pattern, which enables highly centralized regimes to mobilize various resources across the country and achieve their final aim of crisis termination.

Additional information

Funding

This research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No 72174201) and the National Social Science Foundation of China (No 21AZD046).

Notes on contributors

Kaibin Zhong

Kaibing Zhong is professor at National Emergency Management Institute, Chinese Academy of Governance. He received his PhD in public management at the School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University. His research focuses on crisis management, public administration and policy process. He has published in international journals including International Review of Administrative Science, Disasters, among others.

Yihong Liu

Yihong Liu is assistant professor in School of Public Administration and Policy, Renmin University of China. He got a Public Administration Ph.D. degree from Utrecht University's School of Governance. His research focuses on crisis management and policy process.

Tom Christensen

Tom Christensen is Professor Emeritus at Department of Political Science, University of Oslo. He is also Visiting Professor at School of Public Administration and Policy at Renmin University.