Sort Articles

Health Policy

February 25, 2022

The public wants the government to protect them from themselves – sometimes

Clareta Treger In a study of public attitudes towards government paternalism, Clareta Treger finds that, when it comes to their own safety and health, individuals prefer coercive government policies over nudges that steer them towards welfare-enhancing behaviour. This should be taken into consideration when devising strategies to mitigate COVID-19 and future crises. Read more

January 28, 2022

A second 'Pink Tide’ rises in Latin America, but will it last?

Valesca Lima The advance of left-wing, progressive parties in Latin America is driven by the mismanagement of the pandemic, the economic crisis, and the failure of right-wing populism in the region, observes Valesca Lima Read more

January 12, 2022

China’s approach to the pandemic exposes its democratic deficit to the public glare

Rongxin Li China has adopted a zero-case approach to the coronacrisis. But, writes Rongxin Li, China’s policies, while claiming to be in the interests of its citizens, show a lack of democratic anchoring, sacrificing civil rights and procedural justice Read more

January 6, 2022

Public attitudes to coronavirus in highly polarised Hungary

Balázs Böcskei Balázs Böcskei and Eszter Farkas analyse the influence of partisan alignment on public health issues related to coronavirus. Their findings suggest that even in such a highly polarised country as Hungary, the significance of the pandemic over time is suppressing the influence of party alignment on Covid-related issues Read more

May 22, 2021

Vaccine prices may become a political powder keg

Felix Stein Taking health equity seriously during the pandemic requires some minimal degree of vaccine price control. Countries should make vaccine contract details public, specify a fair price, and outline how they plan to meet it, argues Felix Stein Read more

April 14, 2021

Pandemic-era travel has been restricted worldwide, but not everyone has been affected equally

Lorenzo Piccoli International travel restrictions introduced during the pandemic constrained our freedom to travel. To understand how, we must look at the interaction between immigration status, citizenship, employment, and place of residence, write Lorenzo Piccoli, Jelena Dzankic, Timothy Jacob-Owens and Didier Ruedin Read more

April 1, 2021

Amid the pandemic Bolsonaro intimidates critics with dictatorship-era law

Eduardo Burkle President Jair Bolsonaro faces criticism from the media and civil society for his disastrous response to the pandemic. Reviving National Security Law to intimidate critics is more than a nod to Brazil's authoritarian past, writes Eduardo Burkle Read more

February 9, 2021

New Zealand beat Covid-19 without a vaccine: this is how they did it

Lynda Gilby Lynda Gilby explains how and why, against expectations, it is New Zealand’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic that has proved to be one of (if not the) most successful in the world Read more

The Loop

Cutting-edge analysis showcasing the work of the political science discipline at its best.