ZonMW funding for project on the political impacts of covid-19 emergency measures in Europe

ZonMW will be funding a research project into the emergency measures taken by European governments to fight the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic and their political impact. The project is led by Dr Clara Egger of the Centre for International Relations Research, in collaboration with Prof. Dr Kees Aarts of the Faculty of Social and Behavioral Science, and with the support of the UMCG and of the University-wide theme Sustainable Societies.

EXCEPTIUS Exceptional powers in time of Sars-CoV-2 crisis

Abstract : The management of the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic has led European governments to take exceptional political measures imposing restrictions on democratic processes, the rule of law, fundamental rights and civil liberties as well as international commitments. Although all European governments claim to rely on the latest evidence when deciding which measures to implement, the modalities and impacts of exceptional decision-making have considerable variations across governments, even between those that exhibit similarities in terms of political institutions and political culture.

EXCEPTIUS is a 2 years European transdisciplinary project aiming at identifying the modalities, impacts and determinants of emergency decision-making in Europe through a comparative cross country analysis. The pandemic offers an opportunity to contribute interdisciplinary knowledge to the study of democratic resilience, by assessing why some democratic systems prove more resilient to exogenous shocks and which types of political reforms increase such resilience.

ZonMW: Effectiveness and impact of measures

Projects that are part of this theme will examine the effectiveness and impact of the measures taken and of the strategies in response to the coronavirus crisis. The projects range from research into the well-being and sustainable deployment of healthcare staff to research into the effect of the measures taken on the constitutional rights of vulnerable plaintiffs in particular, and their confidence in the justice system. Other examples are research into the lessons that we can learn from the measures taken by other European countries, and research into the preferences for introducing COVID-19 apps in the Netherlands.

Read more about the funding scheme and the other projects on the ZonMW website.