The spatial dimension of coronavirus crisis management and the role of subnational actors in the German–Polish border region

ABSTRACT

The paper is concerned with the spatial dimension of the coronavirus crisis and the tensions it created in multilevel governance in the Polish–German border region. Regarding the spatial dimension of the crisis, territoriality is referred to as the political competence to exert control over a national territory and over places particularly affected by the coronavirus crisis and its management – from local hubs of outbreaks to twin cities in border regions facing closed borders. Territoriality was mirrored in the unilateral decisions of the central governments to close national borders in Europe. Considering spatiality as well as the asymmetric multilevel setting of cross-border Polish–German relations, this paper investigates to what extent subnational actors were able to interact in a cross-border sense in this situation. The paper shows the relevance of subnational political authorities and highlights the significance of civil society actors in times of crisis, as they were able to lobby for a less restrictive border management response and helped to hold – merely through digital activities – the web of bilateral relations together. In this light, it may enhance the ability of further research to take a multilevel territorial perspective for a more nuanced picture of the pandemic’s effects.

KEYWORDS:

• Multilevel governance
• civil society
• Polish-German border region
• coronavirus crisis

Acknowledgment

Author thanks the Viadrina Institute for European Studies (IFES) of the European University Viadrina for supporting the language editing of this publication.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 Interview with a policy consultant in the state Chancery of the Federal State of Brandenburg, 12 June 2020.

2 Interview with a policy consultant in the State Chancery of the Federal state of Brandenburg 12 June 2020.

3 Quote by Katarzyna Werth from Löcknitz, co-initiator of the protests, documented in Presseschau 7/2020, edited and distributed by the German–Polish-Association Brandenburg.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anja Hennig

Anja Hennig is Post-Doctoral researcher at the Chair for Comparative Politics at European University Viadrina (Frankfurt/Oder). Her research areas comprise comparative research on religion and morality politics, gender and illiberal politics, Polish-German relations and memory politics. Her regional focus is, besides Italy and Spain, on East-Central Europe with particular expertise on Poland.