Publication details
Dealing With COVID-19 in Czechia : Why Social Policies and Epidemiological Policies had Different Dynamics
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Social Policy and Society |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/social-policy-and-society/article/dealing-with-covid19-in-czechia-why-social-policies-and-epidemiological-policies-had-different-dynamics/06E18D4BD2F111F51CE9562129AA31C7 |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.1017/S1474746425101152 |
| Keywords | Covid-19; post-communism; institutional theory; bounded rationality |
| Attached files | |
| Description | The COVID-19 pandemic sent shockwaves throughout the world. Even though the Czech Republic has less stable state structures and a less consolidated party system than its West European counterparts, during the first wave, the country actually performed better than most West European countries in terms of infection rates, death rates, and economic growth. During the second wave, however, the country’s position radically dropped. Despite its increasing health problems, its social policies still performed rather well and managed to keep unemployment at comparatively low levels. How can we explain these differences between erratic performance on the health side and comparatively solid performance on the social policy side? Our study explains why traditional social policies basically remained path dependent, while epidemiological policies dealing directly with fighting the spread of COVID-19 did not. Our explanation combines sociological and rational choice institutionalism and links them with the concepts of repeated games and bounded rationality. |
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