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Exploring East Asia's Successful Early-Stage Covid-19 Response: An Empirical Investigation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 February 2024

Kee Hoon Chung Open the ORCID record for Kee Hoon Chung [Opens in a new window] ,
Haeil Jung Open the ORCID record for Haeil Jung [Opens in a new window]  and
Miyeun Jung Open the ORCID record for Miyeun Jung [Opens in a new window]
Kee Hoon Chung
Affiliation:
Department of Public Administration, University of Ulsan, Ulsan, Korea
Haeil Jung*
Affiliation:
Department of Public Administration, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
Miyeun Jung
Affiliation:
Department of Public Administration and Policy, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY, USA
*
Corresponding author: Haeil Jung; Email: hijk@korea.ac.kr
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Abstract

This study examines whether a degree of autocracy and high quality of bureaucracy—two mechanisms often discussed in the context of Covid-19 responses—provide a meaningful explanation for East Asia's relative success compared to the rest of the world at the beginning of the Covid pandemic. Our multiple regression analysis for 111 countries supports our expectation, as East Asia as a region is significantly and negatively associated with confirmed Covid-19 cases and deaths compared to the rest of the world, and its interaction with the quality of bureaucracy further contributes to the negative association. In sum, this research highlights the important role of East Asia's regional characteristics in pandemic responses.

Keywords

East Asiaautocracyquality of bureaucracydemocracyCovid-19 responses
Type
Article
Information
Journal of East Asian Studies , First View , pp. 1 - 23
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the East Asia Institute

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