Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
4-2021
Abstract
Objectives: Better understanding of the dynamics of the COVID-19 (2019 novel coronavirus disease) pandemic to curb its spread is now a global imperative. While travel restrictions and control measures have been shown to limit the spread of the disease, the effectiveness of the enforcement of those measures should depend on the strength of the government. Whether, and how, the government plays a role in fighting the disease, however, has not been investigated. Here, we show that government management capacities are critical to the containment of the disease. Setting: We conducted a statistical analysis based on cross-city comparisons within China. China has undergone almost the entire cycle of the anticoronavirus campaign, which allows us to trace the full dynamics of the outbreak, with homogeneity in standards for statistics recording. Primary and secondary outcome measures: Outcome measures include city-specific COVID-19 case incidence and recoveries in China. Results: The containment of COVID-19 depends on the effectiveness of the enforcement of control measures, which in turn depends on the local government’s management capacities. Specifically, government efficiency, capacity for law enforcement, and the transparency of laws and policies significantly reduce COVID-19 prevalence and increase the likelihood of recoveries. The organisation size of the government, which is not closely related to its capacity for management, has a limited role.
Keywords
Health services administration & management, public health, health economics, health policy, China, COVID-19, pandemics
Discipline
Asian Studies | Emergency and Disaster Management | Health Economics | Health Policy
Research Areas
Applied Microeconomics
Publication
BMJ Open
Volume
11
Issue
4
First Page
1
Last Page
6
ISSN
2044-6055
Identifier
10.1136/bmjopen-2020-041516
Publisher
BMJ Publishing
Embargo Period
4-13-2021
Citation
LI, Wenchao; LI, Jing; and YI, Junjian.
Government management capacities and the containment of COVID-19: A repeated cross-sectional study across Chinese cities. (2021). BMJ Open. 11, (4), 1-6.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soe_research/2464
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-041516
Included in
Asian Studies Commons, Emergency and Disaster Management Commons, Health Economics Commons, Health Policy Commons