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Policy Stringency, Political Conditions, and Public Performances of Pandemic Control: An International Comparison
Get PDFWhat factors might explain the cross-country variations in COVID-19 public performances and what lessons can be drawn to be better-prepared for future pandemics? This study focuses on the effects of policy stringency on COVID-19 public health outcomes to gain insights into national-level state responses to COVID-19 and the conditions for their effectiveness. Using data from 136 countries comprising 91.4% of the global population, we find that more stringent policies lead to lower infection and death rates. More importantly, the negative effects of restrictive policies on infection and death rates are moderated by political trust and democracy levels, possibly through the mechanism of popular compliance with government policies. Under conditions of higher political trust and lower democracy levels, the policy effects on infection and death rates are greater. However, while the results suggest the importance of policy stringency and political trust, we should not draw the conclusion that authoritarian political systems are more conducive to policy effectiveness. When comparing the moderating effects of political trust and democracy, political trust is more important as a facilitating factor. Therefore, in addition to making scientifically-supported policies, fostering political trust should be an important goal for governments to be better prepared for future pandemics
Rebuilding Grid Governance
Get PDFAs climate change sharpens the focus on our electricity systems, there is widespread agreement that the institutions that govern our electric grid must change to realize a clean energy future in the timescale necessary. Scholars are actively debating how grid governance needs to change, but in this Article we demonstrate that current proposals are insufficient because they do not contemplate “rebuilding.” This Article defines “rebuilding” as ending entities tasked with grid governance and creating new ones to take their place. We propose what no one else has: an overarching framework for rebuilding any grid governance institutions.
This Article discusses when rebuilding is necessary, arguing that incrementalism has slowed progress toward more clean energy and that much bolder solutions are imperative. Policy proposals to date have been accommodative, tending to lead to slower progress toward clean energy goals than necessary. A further challenge is that utility dominance in regulatory conversations has led to inefficient and unjust outcomes, and would not be addressed sufficiently by current reform proposals. Addressing these challenges, this Article identifies three criteria for deciding when specific grid governance institutions should end, terming these administrative dysfunction (continued dithering over a subject without making sufficient progress), utility indifference to the common good, and incapacity of the current governance structure to achieve positive outcomes.
This Article concludes that rebuilding is essential to ensure that grid governance will effectively mitigate climate change and address the shortcomings of our current grid governance structures. To guide the rebuilding of grid governance, this Article details three overriding principles for new entities, which are: resource agnosticism, broad-based participation, and a lack of self-centricity. This Article applies these principles to a specific setting—the “Minimum Offer Price Rule” prevalent in wholesale electricity markets that hampers clean energy development—and concludes that regional transmission organizations should not continue to disfavor clean energy in their markets