Learning from the COVID-19 crisis: an initial analysis of national responses

Governments everywhere faced daunting and often unprecedented challenges in the face of the first peak of the COVD-19 pandemic. Public leaders sought to regain control over a highly uncertain and dynamic threat, formulating strategies that were implemented at considerable economic, societal and political costs. Normal modes of policymaking had to be abandoned, as conventional toolkits and contingency plans proved ineffective. In this paper, we offer a first inventory of possible lessons that we draw from our study of crisis responses in various European political systems. Our aim is to formulate an agenda for learning lessons from the management of the largest crisis to hit the world in years. These lessons should help policymakers prepare for future crises, which appear inevitable.