The crisis of corona virus clarified that the belief on shrinking the government ´s institutions can be effective and productive is nonsense. We are observing that the shrinking institutions especially the shrinking of health care system due to mass privatizing the health care institutions in West, resulted into a shameful and slow reaction to the pandemic of corona virus. The non-testing of the infected individuals (against the advice by WHO) in many countries in West has been due to the low numbers of emergency care capacity, deficiency in number of medicare staff, the fear of the health care cost and the budget deficit in many of the Western countries. Furthermore, the consumer-oriented policy discourse in many sectors of the society has contributed to an egoistic behavioral culture such that the people believes that the obedience in crisis is non-democratic and illiberal and they did not respect the marshal law or any state directive regarding the pandemic.
Meanwhile, countries with robust government and state structure such as China despite delayed reaction could control spreading the corona virus in an effective way and accepting a great financial loss in the short-run rather than facing a huge long-run loss. We should know that during a huge shock such as pandemic of Corona virus requires a effective complex planing process both during crisis, recovery and post-recovery and efficient top-down directive in which China managed all the process in a best way compared to many other countries in West.
It is well-known that the South Korean was successful in preventing the pandemic because of efficiency in mass-testing and top-down decision making. As one of the country’s top infectious disease officials told we needed an effective test immediately to detect the novel corona virus. In addition he said in an interview “We acted like an army”.
eco-pol-soc 