Introduction: The Case of COVID-19

• Author: Grant E. Rissler
• DOI: 10.1177/0160323X21990048
• Date: 01 September 2020
• Published date: 01 September 2020
• Subject Matter: Governance Matters

Governance Matters
State and Local Government Review
2020, Vol. 52(3) 184-185
Introduction: The Case
ª The Author(s) 2021
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of COVID-19
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DOI: 10.1177/0160323X21990048
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Grant E. Rissler1
Keywords
COVID-19, intergovernmental relations
Like the proverbial blind folk encountering an
Governance Matters pairing provides insight
elephant and describing very different aspects
on the two countries with the largest burden
of the same animal, the first stages of coming
of COVID-19 cases. In India, as this introduc-
to grips with the impacts of the COVID-19 pan-
tion goes to press, cases were approaching
demic on public administration are necessarily
10 million and deaths surpassed 144,000 while
descriptive and incomplete. The profound
the U.S., with 17 million cases and more than
impact of the pandemic is clear, but much work
300,000 deaths, continues to hold the lamenta-
remains to identify the extent and nuances of
ble distinction of global leader in both cate-
these impacts on subnational governance.
gories (Washington Post 2020). The two
Following the analysis of insights from
perspectives both argue that there is a need to
interviews with thirty local U.S. leaders pub-
appreciate the flexibility of responses at lower
lished in the first issue of State and Local Gov-
levels of governance and consider the tradeoffs
ernment Review this year (Benton, Rissler, and
of imposing a more centralized response at the
Wagner 2020), this issue includes two addi-
national (in the case of India) or state level (in
tional impressions of the COVID-19 elephant
the case of the United States). Alongside the
and its impacts. Focusing on the U.S. and the
work of mapping a forward-looking research
theme of shifts in federalism engaged by Kettl
agenda, such as that suggested by Bowman
(2020), McDonald, Goodman and Hatch drill
et al. (2020) in this same issue of State and
down to the interaction between state and...