Pandemic policymaking in European populist and liberal democracies: a comparison between Hungary and Portugal

Abstract

This study compares COVID-19 pandemic policymaking in Hungary and Portugal. These EU member states are similar in most factors that potentially shape the health policy outcome of a pandemic: the level of economic development, the centralization of public administration system and legislature, and the health crisis management preparedness. Yet, the health policy outcome of COVID-19 differs significantly in favour of Portugal. Our expectation is that political factors, in particular distinctive features in pandemic policymaking between populist and liberal democracies may help to explain this difference. To examine the traits of populist pandemic policymaking that may have contributed to worse health policy outcomes in Hungary, we contrast pandemic policymaking in Hungary and Portugal across three dimensions: policy content, policy process, and policy discourse. The empirical analysis covers the period between March 2020 and December 2021, the first four waves of the pandemic in both countries. A main finding is that in Hungary, recurrent polarizing narratives and the lack of collaborative governance may have reduced the government's capacity for policy learning and successful pandemic management.