What determines governments’ COVID-19 response policies?: examining national level policy and transnational factors

ABSTRACT This study examines to what extent the respective countries’ global pandemic response policies are determined by national-level policy factors (governance factor and public spending) and transnational factors (migrant & foreign direct investment-in-flow). This research employs Oxford University’s COVID-19 Government Response Index (GRI) to reflect upon 147 countries’ response types and extents against the global pandemic. This GRI consists of a containment and health index, an economic support index, and the original stringency index. By utilizing multiple regression analysis, this study assesses the effects of domestic and transnational factors on the government’s stringency level. The results reveal that the governance factor turned out to have a significant positive effect. Domestic and transnational factors show partial and inconsistent effects. This study also discloses the difference in governments’ pandemic responses by continent. This study contributes to refining conventional domestic public administration theory and exploring transnational public administration theory reflected in governments’ COVID-19 responses.