Fostering Voluntary Compliance in the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Analytical Framework of Information Disclosure
| Author | Weihong Ma,Jinjin Wu,Yang Fu |
| DOI | 10.1177/0275074020942102 |
| Published date | 01 August 2020 |
| Date | 01 August 2020 |
| Subject Matter | Citizen Access to Public Health InformationPromoting Voluntary Compliance |
research-article2020
Promoting Voluntary Compliance
American Review of Public Administration
2020, Vol. 50(6-7) 685 –691
Fostering Voluntary Compliance in the
© The Author(s) 2020
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COVID-19 Pandemic: An Analytical
https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074020942102
DOI: 10.1177/0275074020942102
journals.sagepub.com/home/arp
Framework of Information Disclosure
Yang Fu1, Weihong Ma1, and Jinjin Wu1
Abstract
Although there have been studies investigating the relationship between information disclosure and voluntary compliance
behaviors, the terrain of such research is largely fragmented and has been rarely tested empirically in the pandemic contexts.
This article reviewed the intervention and control of the pandemic from the perspective of information disclosure with
reflections on the experience in China. Furthermore, the authors propose a comprehensive framework demonstrating
the overall landscape of information disclosure and voluntary compliance behaviors with highlights on (a) the tensions
between privacy and information transparency; (b) the trade-offs between policy rigorousness and compliance behaviors;
(c) different sources of information and how they influence public behaviors differently; and most importantly, (d) how the
variegated configurations and contextualization of factors result in different influencing and moderating mechanisms between
information disclosure and voluntary compliance behaviors. In the end, the authors call for future research and reforms in
pandemic control practice to focus on the dynamics of information disclosure, government actions, and public compliance
behaviors, which has been largely neglected so far.
Keywords
voluntary compliance behaviors, information disclosure, containment measures, government actions, the COVID-19 pandemic
On January 8, 2020, the expert team of the Chinese National
2 to 6, implying a greater transmission capacity than SARS
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officially
in 2003 (Liu et al., 2020). What’s worse, the majority of the
announced that there was a pneumonia related to a novel
infected population are with mild or no symptoms (ranging
type of coronavirus in Wuhan. However, according to a ret-
from 60% to 80% in various studies), which equally contrib-
rospective study published in the Lancet, the first case of the
utes to the spreading of the disease (Lipsitch et al., 2020;
COVID-19 was traced back to December 1, 2019, which
Qiu, 2020). Since currently there is no vaccine or specific
implied that the disease had been spreading quietly in a
therapeutics for the virus, the control of the disease depends
megacity for over a month (Huang et al., 2020). The first
primarily on the isolation of the infected, quarantine of the
confirmed case in the United States was reported on January
exposed population, and social distancing of the general pub-
19, 2020, in Snohomish County, Washington (Holshue et al.,
lic. Therefore, many medical experts appealed to the public
2020), while it was not until March 10 that the first semi-
to stay at home and voluntarily comply with social distanc-
containment zone was announced in New York (Heymann &
ing measures (Chen et al., 2020; Wilder-Smith & Freedman,
Shindo, 2020). Similar stories were seen in many of the
2020).
countries where the disease finally outbroke: that informa-
However, the biggest challenge for many countries is how
tion about the disease and personal protection was little
to pragmatically implement effective social distancing and
known by the public in the early stage of the pandemic.
quarantine measures to contain the pandemic. Many note
Eliminating the infectious source, cutting off the trans-
that information disclosure can foster greater voluntary com-
mission route and isolating the susceptible population has
pliance (Porumbescu et al., 2017). Another terrain of the
always been the golden principle for pandemic control
(Maier & Brockmann, 2020). However, the very limited
1Shenzhen University, P.R. China
knowledge of the novel virus, as well as the information
opacity and confusion at the beginning of the epidemic
Corresponding Author:
impeded the introduction of effective containment measures,
Weihong Ma, Department of Public Administration, College of
Management, Shenzhen University, No. 3688 Nanhai Ave., Shenzhen,
escalating the transmission of the disease (Gunia, 2020). The
Guangdong Province, Shenzhen 518060, P.R. China.
reported R (reproduction rate) of the COVID-19 varies from
0
Email: maweihong@szu.edu.cn
686
American Review of Public Administration 50(6-7)
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
Figure 1. Daily reported cases from December 31, 2019, to April 3, 2020.
Source. World Health Organization (2020).
literature gauges information disclosure and concludes that
(WHO), the newly reported case peaked at 3,872 in China on
transparency does influence the way the public respond (Bae,
February 5, despite the sharp peak of 15,141 confirmed cases
2014; Ruijer, 2017; West & Bowman, 2020). But they nei-
on February 13, which was caused by the rigorous campaign
ther depict the mechanisms of how information disclosure
to test all suspected cases by February 11 mobilized by the
may shape citizens’ behaviors nor explain how to translate
Wuhan Municipal government (WHO, 2020). Figure 1 dem-
the policies into public actions in the pandemic contexts. To
onstrates that the rigorous lockdown did not only bring for-
supplement the theoretical framing with empirical proof, the
ward the turning point, but also reduce the total number of
authors conducted a survey in early February 2020 and col-
infections dramatically.
lected 2,776 samples to investigate the possible relationships
between information disclosure and compliance behaviors.
Massive Testing and Inpatient Admission of All
With reflections on China’s containment practice, previous
research findings and the results of the survey, the authors
Infected Cases
propose a theoretical framework elucidating the dynamics of
It should be highlighted that sufficient testing is of extreme
information disclosure and public compliance behaviors,
importance to the containment of the COVID-19, since the
offering insights to inform containment research and practice
distinction of the contracted and healthy population relies
in the current challenge posed by the COVID-19.
solely on the testing results (Xu et al., 2020). The testing
capacity was insufficient in Wuhan in the early stage, which
Containment Measures in China
escalated the outbreak in the city. But it soon increased as
testing kits were transported into Wuhan after the lockdown.
Lockdown and Strict Quarantine
The testing capacity increased from around 200 to 20,000
On January 23, Wuhan was suddenly locked down and
per day (Wuhan Municipal Government, 2020d). The newly
within 48 hr the other 13 cities in Hubei province were shut
appointed municipal and provincial head promulgated a new
down as well, resulting in an unprecedented scale of quasi-
policy to “test every suspected case and hospitalized all con-
quarantine of over 60 million population. The local authority
firmed ones” (Wuhan Municipal Government, 2020b). The
took very draconian measures in the quarantine, shutting
mild and asymptomatic patients who used to be sent home
down all schools, public...
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