COVID-19 was a global disaster that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and destroyed the economy like no other. The COVID era was a time when our social structures and human bonds were tried and tested in fire. Our governments and civil servants were also tested with their might. Let us ponder how the public administration engines of our world retaliated during the onslaught.
When COVID-19 hit, the public administrators were left scrambling for solutions while they tried out different policies to curb the spread.[i] Unfortunately, most of them were initially met with scepticism.
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To effectively legislate better policies in the future, it is important to look at (and learn from) how the government dealt with the pandemic. Not only because good Public Administration is the backbone of a country but also because situations like this will happen more often now, due to increasing levels of climate change and citizen conflicts etc.[ii]
So here is a look at what the Public Administration did right during the pandemic, and what our next steps should be:
1. The Administration Stepped up and the Public Noticed!
During the peak of the onslaught, public administrators at various levels set policies regarding lockdown, online schools, mandated face masks etc. Hence, they were quick to take on a leadership role and guide the public through unprecedented times.
People are now more aware of the Public Administration’s role in running the country. But with that, there is now more scrutiny on these professionals than ever before.
Next steps: However, an opportunity arises here. One should consider using this increased awareness to re-establish a relationship of trust with the citizens. This way the administration can truly work with the public to enact change in the present and the future[iii].
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2. Formed Partnerships for the Greater Good
The pandemic highlighted the need for the Public Administration strategies to be adjustable according to the demands of different situations.
The countries that managed well did so because of many reasons, one of which being public sectors’ collaboration with private institutions and independent citizens[iv].
India is a great example of this. The private technology sector partnered up with the government to create a contact tracing app that helped to identify the virus hotspots[v].
Next steps: According to Christopher Ansell’s research article; what is needed in times like this in future are dynamic and robust Public Administration policies that take into account all the aspects of the country’s stability; social, health and economic.
The system fails when we try to adhere to the ‘old normal’ without adapting to the situation at hand[vi].
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Conclusion
A country is as good as its administrators. A surefire way to plan for the uncertain future is to stay vigilant and informed about the changes taking place worldwide. Another way is to modify the current strategies to fit the needs of modern times. Robust policies and effective administrators are needed to guide us through difficult situations.
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