A comparative study of Covid 19: A purposeful agent, a myopic political leader

Abstract

This article offers insights into the Covid 19 Pandemic by comparing the experiences of Norway and the UK. The Norwegian case study has distinctive characteristics. It offers evidence of an agile government at work and evidence of a successful clinical experience to lead the Norwegian management of the Covid pandemic. This was a successful approach with low mortality rates and a protected population. By contrast, the UK experience was quite different.Clinical expertise was available to politicians who managed the pandemic, but this relationship was tense and contested over the pandemic. The political steering of the UK pandemic was erratic and unpredictable. The Government was initially keen on herd immunity but discarded his approach in early 2020 when it became clear that the fatalities would be grim. The UK's Prime Minister is a member of the libertarian wing of his political party which is opposed on principle to intervening in the lives of citizens. This meant the UK Prime Minister was in a conflicted position. This was evidence by his reluctance to have lockdowns and the slowness with which lockdowns were initiated which experts said cost many lives. The fatalities in the UK were among the worst in the world.

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https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/publications/013cd8b1-e2de-406b-9277-bfd2fd9ea60a