Managing Federalism through Pandemic

The book Managing Federalism through Pandemic analyzes the Canadian response to the COVID-19 pandemic and policy issues from the perspective of Canadian federalism. It highlights the effectiveness of intergovernmental cooperation in emergency management, public health, national security, Indigenous Peoples and governments, border governance, crisis communications, fiscal federalism, income security policies, supply chain resilience, and energy and climate policies. Despite individual policy failures, the decentralized approach to policy management often enabled regional adaptation and contributed to policy learning across governments.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 416 pages
Publication date: 07 November 2023
Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Managing Federalism through Pandemic is a comprehensive analysis that summarizes and examines various policy dimensions of Canada's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and related policy issues from the perspective of Canadian federalism. Contributors delve into the effectiveness of intergovernmental cooperation at both the summit level and in various policy domains, including emergency management, public health, national security, Indigenous Peoples and governments, border governance, crisis communications, fiscal federalism, income security policies (CERB), supply chain resilience, and energy and climate policies. Despite significant policy failures by individual governments, fluctuations in the overall effectiveness of pandemic management, and growing public frustration across provinces and regions, the contributors demonstrate how processes of intergovernmental cooperation adapted reasonably well to the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic, particularly in the early stages.

The book concludes that, despite individual policy failures, Canada's decentralized approach to policy management often facilitated regional adaptation to diverse conditions, helped contain serious policy failures, and contributed to varying degrees of policy learning across governments. Furthermore, Managing Federalism through Pandemic sheds light on structural policy weaknesses that transcend federalism but have profound implications for how governments work together (or fail to) to promote the well-being of citizens.

This insightful book provides valuable insights into the complexities of managing federalism during a pandemic and offers valuable lessons for policymakers and scholars alike.

Weight: 626g
Dimension: 150 x 231 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781487548117