{"id":74145,"date":"2020-12-24T10:41:50","date_gmt":"2020-12-24T05:11:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=74145"},"modified":"2021-01-04T12:52:41","modified_gmt":"2021-01-04T07:22:41","slug":"how-covid-19-revealed-the-limits-of-political-accountability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/how-covid-19-revealed-the-limits-of-political-accountability\/","title":{"rendered":"How COVID-19 revealed the limits of Political Accountability?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Context:\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The COVID-19 pandemic has put governance under a stress test which exposed how poorly prepared the world\u2019s governments were.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What was the response of the world leaders to the pandemic?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The world\u2019s most powerful leaders failed to do their duty to protect the citizens.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25aa\" data-font=\"Noto Sans Symbols\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">In Brazil<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">, Jair Bolsonaro irresponsibly refused to get vaccinated, even as his own government has launched a national vaccination\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">campaign. He even<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">remarked<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0that the vaccine might turn people into crocodiles.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276,&quot;335559991&quot;:360}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25aa\" data-font=\"Noto Sans Symbols\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">In India<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">, lockdowns of limited effectiveness<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0the sight of\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">migrants<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0desperately walking back to their villages and having the second largest number of cases, dented Prime Minister Modi\u2019s popularity.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276,&quot;335559991&quot;:360}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25aa\" data-font=\"Noto Sans Symbols\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">In Russia<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">, Vladimir Putin has hardly spoken even as the virus wraths unchecked across Russia.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Further, the<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0citizens are against a vaccine whose ability and safety are inadequately understood because of the opacity of Russia\u2019s protocols.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276,&quot;335559991&quot;:360}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Then why people of their country have not held their leaders accountable for the failure in\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">handling<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0this situation? Answer lies in the\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">following propositions that shape the view of general public\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">towards<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0their leaders.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What are the limits of political accountability exposed during the pandemic?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Three propositions frame this analysis:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25aa\" data-font=\"Noto Sans Symbols\" data-listid=\"1\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Prospective Accountability:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0It is often understood that the voters vote retrospectively,\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">i.e.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, give their judgement in the elections by voting based on the incumbent\u2019s record. Instead,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">they\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">vote prospectively, i.e., against candidates who\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">the voters<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0fear w<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ould<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0put\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">the\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">opponents to\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">a<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0disadvantage.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:770,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276,&quot;335559991&quot;:360}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Underestimation of collective action:\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Second, disease, unlike war, does not offer a clear enemy to target.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0Public health advice that stressed the need for personal responsibility to stay home, wear a mask, wash<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ing<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0hands. It underestimated the challenge of\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">collective<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0action predicted on millions of individual res<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ponses<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276,&quot;335559991&quot;:360}\">\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">It\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">emphasises<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0person\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">responsible for own health, then getting sick is also\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">his<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0own fault.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0It absolves the govt.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">o<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">ff the responsibilities.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:1440,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276,&quot;335559991&quot;:360}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Poverty of collective empathy:\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Third, the coronavirus pandemic reveals our inability to empathise<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0with\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">what<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0we do not see.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0For example, thousands of deaths due to pollution and road accidents go unnoticed<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">, unlike\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">thousands of<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0deaths by COVID-19<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276,&quot;335559991&quot;:360}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What is the way forward?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25aa\" data-font=\"Noto Sans Symbols\" data-listid=\"4\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Prolonged economic suffering demands government remedy more immediately as without some measure of accountability, democracy loses its power, and so do the people.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276,&quot;335559991&quot;:360}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Context:\u00a0The COVID-19 pandemic has put governance under a stress test which exposed how poorly prepared the world\u2019s governments were.\u00a0 What was the response of the world leaders to the pandemic?\u00a0 The world\u2019s most powerful leaders failed to do their duty to protect the citizens.\u00a0 In Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro irresponsibly refused to get vaccinated, even as&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/how-covid-19-revealed-the-limits-of-political-accountability\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">How COVID-19 revealed the limits of Political Accountability?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":74147,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230,1351,1310,9],"tags":[1415,1289,1456],"class_list":["post-74145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","category-daily-news","category-daily-news-updates","category-public","tag-gov_0","tag-soc_0","tag-soc_01","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/COVID-19-and-limits-of-political-accountability.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1","views":{"total":0,"cached_at":"","cached_date":1704937697},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74145"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74145\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}