Capacity for Governance in Extended Crises : Tailoring of a Theoretical Framework From the Covid-19 Pandemic Context

Abstract: Although its impact was felt globally, the pandemic of Covid-19 still prompted a wide range of national strategies aimed to counter it. In light of possible future crises of similar scope and duration, this master´s thesis seeks to determine the locus of these strategic differences. It posits that the answers lie in governments unique and context-dependent capacities for governance, and how these enabled and constrained their pandemic strategies. This thesis therefore tailors a theoretical framework, made for analysing governance capacities of governments in crisis, from the rich field of governance research conducted on the pandemic. This framework is subsequently applied empirically through a comparative case study of Danish and Swedish governments, in an effort to both test its functionality and to examine Nordic policy variation. Insights derived from these cases are finally used to evaluate the framework and discuss its potential for further use. The thesis finds that the Danish government was more able to overcome challenges to pandemic governance than the Swedish government. It argues that this difference derives from both the Danish government´s higher pre-pandemic governance capacity and from its ability to consolidate governance during the pandemic. Key differences between the cases appears to furthermore stem from governments’ capacity to enact regulation, the national systems of crisis management, and whether the nation is characterised by ministerial rule or not. The theoretical framework is finally assessed and deemed widely applicable for use in cases where there is a break in the societal status quo.