ABSTRACT

Covid-19 has severely impacted lives and livelihoods in India. Faced with threatened livelihoods due to lockdowns in major cities, millions of poor informal sector workers have returned to their rural roots, provoking a complex intergovernmental problem that necessitates collective action but is plagued with a high degree of uncertainty. This article explores two interrelated issues. First, we examine the role of the central government in the Covid-19 crisis and the implications for centre–state relations. Second, we review the governance responses of two states, Kerala and Gujarat. We unpack how variations in political values and norms within which the key political actors of the two governing regimes are rooted had informed their policy priorities. We show how local political culture significantly affected critical decisions (e.g. emergency relief for the poor) and administrative implementation mechanisms (whether centralised or decentralised). We draw lessons on the influence of political culture in shaping pandemic governance response in a federal polity.

摘要

Covid-19 严重影响了印度的生活和生计。由于大城市的封锁，生计受到威胁，数百万贫困的非正规部门工人回到了农村，引发了一个复杂的政府间问题，需要采取集体行动，但又面临高度的不确定性。本文探讨了两个相互关联的问题。首先，我们研究中央政府在 Covid-19 危机中的作用及其对中央与国家关系的影响。其次，我们回顾了喀拉拉邦和古吉拉特邦这两个邦的治理响应。我们解开两个执政政权的主要政治行动者所植根的政治价值观和规范的差异如何影响他们的政策优先事项。我们展示了当地政治文化如何显着影响关键决策（例如 穷人的紧急救济）和行政实施机制（无论是集中式还是分散式）。我们吸取了政治文化在形成联邦政体中的大流行治理响应方面的影响的经验。