What’s Going On?

Springer eBooks, pp. 19–42

Abstract

Abstract For a crisis to be effectively governed, it must first be noticed, interpreted, understood and assessed. This chapter explores how policymakers ‘made sense’ of the emerging COVID-19 pandemic. We focus on: (1) how policymakers around the world detected the developing threat as it emerged first in China and then in Italy; (2) the prominent involvement of scientific expertise in government sense-making processes (and in narratives about those processes). We discuss the complex dynamics between experts, decision-makers and publics that ensued.

Authors 3

1. Arjen Boin Aachen Department of Political Science

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Political Science, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

2. Allan McConnell corresponding

   The University of Sydney

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney, Darlington, Australia

3. Paul ‘t Hart

   Utrecht University

   Affiliation as printed

   School of Governance, Utrecht University, Driebergen-Rijsenburg, The Netherlands