Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
12-2020
Abstract
Learning is imperative in government responses to crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examines the South Korean and United States governments’ responses to COVID-19 from a comparative perspective. The analysis focuses on crisis learning conducted before and during the COVID-19 outbreak, using the conceptual categories of intercrisis/intracrisis learning and single-/double-loop learning. The findings suggest that double-loop, intercrisis learning allows for more effective crisis management by (re)developing a common operating framework. The efficacy of learning is enhanced when double-loop learning is followed by single-loop learning that embeds new structures and operational procedures. The findings also suggest that intercrisis learning facilitates intracrisis learning and that political support is critical for inducing crisis learning. The paper concludes with theoretical and practical implications for crisis learning.
Keywords
Comparative analysis, COVID-19, Crisis learning, organizational learning, pandemic
Discipline
Asian Studies | Emergency and Disaster Management | Health Policy | Public Health
Research Areas
Political Science
Publication
International Review of Public Administration
Volume
25
Issue
4
First Page
243
Last Page
260
ISSN
12294-659
Identifier
10.1080/12294659.2020.1852715
Publisher
Taylor and Francis
Embargo Period
6-10-2021
Citation
LEE, Seulki, YEO, Jungwon, & NA, Chongmin.(2020). Learning before and during the COVID-19 outbreak: A comparative analysis of crisis learning in South Korea and the US. International Review of Public Administration, 25(4), 243-260.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3312
Copyright Owner and License
Publisher
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/10.1080/12294659.2020.1852715
Included in
Asian Studies Commons, Emergency and Disaster Management Commons, Health Policy Commons, Public Health Commons