Collective action during the Covid-19 pandemic: The case of Germany’s fragmented authority

Abstract Countering the calls for more centralized public decision-making and unified command-and-control administration, we show how fragmented authority can foster collective action to mount an effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic. To this aim, we use a conceptual framework that integrates emergency management and political economic theory and provide several examples to illustrate how public and private actors in Germany met the challenges of the pandemic with coordinated, cooperative, and collaborative action. The motivational, strategic, and structural solutions we identify in this research offer to scholars and practitioners insight into the design of resilient public health systems.