July 1, 2021
Learning from past emergencies to improve the pandemic response
By investigating government policy responses to large-scale crises, a team including a faculty member from the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy & Governance found that a centralized approach can achieve goals more effectively and efficiently.
In times of crisis, government approaches to procuring goods and services may be interrupted or dramatically altered. The researchers point to coordination issues around acquiring PPE and inconsistencies in COVID-19 vaccine rollout across states to support this point.
Despite the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, the researchers contend that federal governmental responses to crises should be informed through drawing lessons from previous national crisis responses. Among these lessons are interagency planning and procurement strategies and the pandemic guidebook developed by the federal government during H1N1.
The researchers’ work underscores the importance of communication, relationship-building, and establishing strategic crisis response management practices at the federal level of government.