COVID-19 has revealed that UK governance is not just prone to the occasional disaster, it is fundamentally flawed. Gerry Stoker, Will Jennings, and Jen Gaskell outline some of these failings and argue that the pandemic should be followed by a public inquiry into the system

Gaskell, Jen

Jennings, Will

Stoker, Gerry

English

LSE Research Online

COVID-19	has	revealed	our	governance	system	lackscapacity,	but	will	we	do	anything	about	it?COVID-19	has	revealed	that	UK	governance	is	not	just	prone	to	the	occasionaldisaster,	it	is	fundamentally	flawed.	Gerry	Stoker,	Will	Jennings,	and	JenGaskell	outline	some	of	these	failings	and	argue	that	the	pandemic	should	befollowed	by	a	public	inquiry	into	the	system.Everybody	knows	about	our	governance	system’s	capacity	for	fiasco	andfailure.	Studies	of	British	government	recount	in	gory	detail	its	capacity	for	repeated	policy	catastrophes	from	thepoll	tax	to	the	Millennium	Dome.	Building	on	that	tradition,	earlier	in	the	year	we,	like	many	others,	added	thehandling	of	COVID-19	to	that	list	of	government	blunders.	A	cross-national	survey	reveals	that	the	percentage	ofcitizens	who	think	the	UK	government	is	handling	the	issue	of	COVID-19	well	or	very	well	has	dropped	from	the	low70s	in	late	March	to	the	low	30s	in	late	October.	Only	the	French	and	USA	governments	have	similarly	low	ratingsand	the	UK	also	has	the	steepest	decline.The	prospect	of	an	effective	vaccine	offers	some	hope	that	we	may	yet	stagger	to	the	finish	line	in	the	monthsahead.	Our	fear	is,	however,	that	if	we	do	reach	a	position	that	enables	us	to	put	the	pandemic	behind	us,	in	therush	to	return	to	‘normality’	the	substantial	and	sobering	evidence	of	lack	of	capacity	in	our	governance	will	be	metwith	a	collective	shrug	of	the	shoulders.COVID-19	has	revealed	that	our	governance	system	is	not	just	prone	to	the	occasional	disaster;	it	is	fundamentallyflawed.	It	is	because	our	state	lacks	capacity	to	mobilize	resources	to	meet	our	needs.	To	put	it	bluntly,	we	have	agovernance	system	that:	(1)	undermines	effective	communication	between	state	and	citizens;	(2)	lacks	the	capacityto	coordinate	and	bring	together	sectors	and	actors	to	meet	common	goals;	and	(3)	consistently	fails	to	sharepower	effectively	and	distribute	resources	fairly.These	are	not	minor	failings,	and	they	can	no	longer	be	overlooked.	All	countries	have	weaknesses	in	theirgovernance	systems,	we	concede.	But	a	combination	of	political	malpractice,	sustained	shrinking	of	the	state,constitutional	change,	and	ad	hoc	management	reforms	have	produced	a	unique	cocktail	of	ineffectiveness	that	hasbeen	brutally	exposed	by	COVID-19.Communication	Failings		Citizens	have	only	limited	trust	in	government	and	that	trust	has	significantly	declined	over	the	last	four	decades	inthe	UK.	This	observation	is	not	true	of	all	other	liberal	democracies	with	developed	economies.	At	the	start	of	2019,trust	in	government	was	generally	high	in	Nordic	countries	and	many	smaller	democracies.	The	UK	had	trust	levelsbelow	the	average	in	OECD	countries	as	did	the	USA	and	France.	Lack	of	trust	matters,	as	it	turns	out.	Thepandemic	experience	so	far	suggests	that	confronting	a	major	societal	or	economic	crisis	in	the	absence	of	trustmakes	effective	governance	considerably	harder.	An	initial	surge	in	support	for	the	government	has	melted	awayand	the	compliance	of	citizens	required	for	the	efficacy	of	policy	responses	is	substantially	undermined.	The	bondbetween	trust	and	compliance	is	consequential	for	willingness	to	be	tested	for	the	virus,	to	self-isolate	wheninstructed	or	to	get	a	vaccine.	To	trust,	citizens	demand	some	level	of	competence,	authenticity	and	transparency	–a	coherent	and	convincing	narrative	of	what	we	are	doing,	how	we	are	getting	along,	and	how	we	will	get	out	of	themess	that	we	are	in.	Our	governance	system	could	not	deliver	it.	The	management	of	COVID-19	now	operates	inthe	context	of	a	general	sense	of	hopelessness	and	cynicism	about	a	government	that	lacks	capacity,	has	lost	anyclaim	to	leadership,	and	seems	distracted	with	infighting.British Politics and Policy at LSE: COVID-19 has revealed our governance system lacks capacity, but will we do anything about it? Page 1 of 3		Date originally posted: 2020-11-23Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/covid19-governance-inquiry/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/Political	news	management	stemming	from	the	PM’s	office	and	other	parts	of	government	remains	adept	at	the	artof	spin	but	has	proved	hopelessly	incapable	of	clear	public	health	communication	in	the	context	of	a	pandemic.	ThePM’s	own	speeches	have	become	a	focal	point	of	ridicule.	Research	suggests	trust	in	the	government	as	a	sourceof	information	about	COVID-19	has	dropped	dramatically,	and	as	the	UK	experiences	the	second	wave,	a	largeminority	of	the	public	–	an	estimated	20	million	people	–	do	not	feel	that	the	news	media	and/or	the	governmenthave	explained	what	they	can	do	in	response	to	the	pandemic.	There	are	limits	to	the	explanatory	power	of	three-word	slogans.	Spin	and	the	symbiotic	relationship	between	mainstream	media	and	senior	Westminster	politiciansprovide	political	drama	and	entertainment	in	‘normal	times’	but	COVID-19	now	reveals	that	the	centre	ofgovernment	has	limited	capacity	for	speaking	clearly	and	communicating	effectively.	When	it	was	needed	the	most,communication	from	government	to	citizens	generated	confusion	rather	than	clarity,	suggesting	somethingsignificant	is	broken	in	how	the	state	projects	itself.A	failure	to	bring	things	togetherThere	is	no	doubt	that	in	a	crisis,	government	needs	to	provide	a	co-ordinating	drive,	bringing	together	the	efforts	ofdifferent	layers	of	government,	private	sectors,	and	civil	society.	During	the	coronavirus	crisis,	this	quality	has	beenconspicuous	by	its	absence.	All	that	has	been	heard	are	claims	of	lack	of	consultation,	last-minute	changes	topolicies,	non-communication	and	little	in	the	way	of	either	collaboration	or	lesson-learning	either	from	mistakes	orfrom	those	battling	COVID-19	at	the	frontlines.	‘Whitehall	knows	best’	and	‘one	size-fits-all’	tendencies	weremanageable	in	normal	times	as	other	actors	quietly	worked	to	circumvent	its	worse	effects	and	impacts.	But	in	thecontext	of	a	crisis,	we	have	experienced	the	full	inanity	of	those	mantras.Contracting	out	to	private	sector	providers	and	procurement	by	government	has	not	always	delivered	the	promisedbenefits	or	value	for	money,	as	for	example	some	defence	or	rail	contracts	have	illustrated.	But	the	COVID-19experience	suggests	the	problems	may	be	both	more	systematic	and	far	deeper.	Deals	to	deliver	vitally	neededPPE	failed.	Asking	private	sector	consultants	and	providers	to	manage	test-and-trace	has	proved	problematic.	BigIT	projects	have	blown	up,	not	for	the	first	time.	Even	the	development	and	distribution	of	a	vaccine	may	be	underthreat	from	contracting	failings.	The	issues	reflect	in	part	the	complexity	of	the	tasks	being	managed	andweaknesses	in	global	supply	chains	but	at	the	very	least	it	raises	questions	about	claims	of	private	sectorinvolvement	automatically	generating	efficiency	in	public	service	delivery.	Rent-seeking	behaviour	by	vestedinterests	is	not	a	good	look	for	any	governance	system	and	ours	appears	to	be	rife	with	it.	At	best,	it	hascompromised	effectiveness,	value	for	money,	and	transparency	for	rapid	execution;	at	worse,	it	has	squanderedpublic	funds	while	giving	off	more	than	a	whiff	of	corruption,	as	personal	networks	and	political	connections	appearto	have	played	a	part	in	decision-making.A	lack	of	power	sharingDevolution	exists	but	is	barely	acknowledged	in	practice	by	Westminster	and	Whitehall.	The	devolved	governmentsof	Wales,	Scotland,	and	Northern	Ireland	hardly	seem	to	figure	in	the	judgments	of	the	Treasury	and	the	PM’sOffice.	Add	to	that	the	picking	of	fights	with	Northern	mayors	and	leaders	in	England	and	this	is	a	centre	that	seemsto	disregard	that	it	is	now	operating	in	a	devolved	governance	system	and	lacks	either	the	tools	or	respect	tomanage	its	relationships	effectively.Regional	disparities	and	the	fault	lines	of	deprivation	have	again	risen	in	clear	view	through	the	impacts	of	COVID-19.	The	poor,	those	in	less	stable	employment,	and	ethnic	minorities	have	suffered	disproportionately	from	thecrisis.	Regional	differences	and	impacts	mean	that	claims	of	‘levelling	up’	between	London,	southern	regions	andother	areas	are	even	further	from	coming	to	fruition,	repeating	a	tendency	to	create	the	impression	that	it	is	Londonand	the	South	of	England	that	matter	to	Whitehall	and	Westminster	with	the	rest	of	the	country,	a	lesser	focus	onattention.	COVID-19	has	reinforced	the	North-South	divide	in	our	governance	arrangements.What	should	happen	next?Prior	to	the	arrival	of	COVID-19,	our	tradition	of	muddling	through	gave	many	a	belief	that	our	core	system	ofgovernance	appeared	to	be	good	enough	–	not	perfect,	but	in	a	crisis	it	would	find	ways	to	do	what	needed	to	bedone.	Some	may	argue	that	given	the	challenges	and	complexities	caused	by	the	pandemic	our	governancesystem	again	displayed	a	few	missteps	and	mishaps,	but	we	got	through	it.British Politics and Policy at LSE: COVID-19 has revealed our governance system lacks capacity, but will we do anything about it? Page 2 of 3		Date originally posted: 2020-11-23Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/covid19-governance-inquiry/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/We	offer	an	alternative	course	of	action.	COVID-19	has	exposed	the	ways	our	governance	system	lacks	capacity,and	we	should	honour	those	who	lost	their	lives	and	the	many	more	who	have	suffered	by	addressing	thoseweaknesses.	We	propose	a	one-year	inquiry,	funded	by	government	or	an	independent	body,	drawing	on	evidencethat	is	not	focused	on	blaming	individuals	but	instead	asks	fundamental	questions	about	our	governance	systemand	its	failings.	Following	a	tradition	of	public	inquiries	into	policy	failure,	this	should	not	be	a	partisan	exploration	asan	effective	state	is	an	aspiration	that	cuts	across	political	divides.	We	cannot	kick	the	can	down	the	road	until	thenext	crisis.	There	will	soon	enough	be	another	pandemic	or	some	other	social	or	economic	shock	that	tests	ourresilience	to	the	limit,	and	next	time	it	could	overwhelm	us.	‘Everybody	knows	it’s	now	or	never’…	as	the	LeonardCohen	lyric	goes._____________________About	the	AuthorsGerry	Stoker	is	Professor	of	Politics	and	Governance	at	the	University	of	Southampton.	Will	Jennings	is	Professor	of	Political	Science	and	Public	Policy	at	the	University	ofSouthampton.	Jen	Gaskell	is	Research	Fellow	with	the	TrustGov	project	at	the	University	ofSouthampton.			Photo	by	Kevin	Grieve	on	Unsplash.	British Politics and Policy at LSE: COVID-19 has revealed our governance system lacks capacity, but will we do anything about it? Page 3 of 3		Date originally posted: 2020-11-23Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/covid19-governance-inquiry/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/

Covid-19 has revealed our governance system lacks capacity, but will we do anything about it?

http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/107741/1/politicsandpolicy_covid19_governance.pdf

Covid-19 has revealed our governance system lacks capacity, but will we do anything about it?

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