Understanding Variations of Latin American Countries' Responses to the 2019 Corona Virus Pandemic
Abstract
This research reveals why Latin American states failed to control the rapid spread of the 2019Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) throughout the region. To answer this question, the author studies the policies, government responses, and state capacity to implement those policies, putting emphasis on understanding the role of leadership, welfare state capacity, and inequality in the shaping of pandemic outcomes for Chile and Uruguay. These two countries were chosen as part of the study because of their similarities in terms of economic throughput, health, and social welfare capacity, and for having non-populist leaders in power during the pandemic. The results of the analysis revealed that states with strong, egalitarian welfare systems have a higher success rate at controlling the initial onsets of pandemics. On the other hand, states with strong welfare systems and unequal access to the welfare system are more vulnerable to the effects of pandemics. States with weak welfare systems are not capable of controlling a pandemic, regardless of how equal access to the welfare systems is. As a result, the ineffectiveness of Latin American governments to control the spread of COVID-19 is attributed to the low economic capacity to tend to the financial and health needs of the population in a region where high informal employment is the norm.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1173242
Entities
People
- Julio D. Armijos
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School