Managing a Pandemic at a Less Than Global Scale: Governors Take the Lead

Abstract

This article explores the roles played by state governments, and particularly governors, in dealing with an extremely disruptive event—the coronavirus global pandemic. The inquiry focuses on March and April 2020, a period characterized by significant public health challenges and severe economic stress. The coronavirus pandemic did not affect states at the same time or with the same intensity and as a consequence, governors varied somewhat in terms of when they acted and which policies they adopted. As shown in the article, gubernatorial interactions with other states were at times cooperative, in other instances they were competitive. Two states—Texas and Pennsylvania—are singled out for an examination of within-state dynamics. The article ends with brief reflections on the lessons of the coronavirus for public sector management in a federal system of government.