Kaifeng Yang

First published: 28 May 2020

Abstract

This Viewpoint essay understands China's COVID-19 responses through the lens of six paradoxes,focusing on normal and non-normal governance,competing values,expertise and politics,centralization and decentralization,public and private,and technology and institutions.Preliminary lessons are drawn regarding pandemic governance: embedding resilience into all aspects of governance;developing a public value framework for pandemic governance and improving individuals' ethical capacity;institutionalizing policy capacity on pandemic governance and requiring expertise in relevant positions;balancing centralized coordination and decentralized responses with a stable and ready-to-work commanding center;enabling businesses and nonprofits for pandemic governance but regulating them appropriately;and enacting technologies to revolutionize pandemic governance with proper institutional safeguards.