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Covidocracy
Do Pandemics Defend Dictatorships and Challenge Democracies?
Brief Description
In December 2019, China reported the first COVID cases to the World Health Organization, going on to impose lockdowns as early as January 2020. Saudi Arabia announced national curfews after only a few hundred cases, under threat of fines and jail time. By mid-March, the UK...
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See moreBased on case studies from China, Saudi Arabia, the UK and US, this uses novel analysis of public discourse to measure whether pandemics favour authoritarianism and erode democracies.
Based on case studies from China, Saudi Arabia, the UK and US, this uses novel analysis of public discourse to measure whether pandemics favour authoritarianism and erode democracies.
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Description
In December 2019, China reported the first COVID cases to the World Health Organization, going on to impose lockdowns as early as January 2020. Saudi Arabia announced national curfews after only a few hundred cases, under threat of fines and jail time. By mid-March, the UK too, went into its first lockdown.
But how did COVID-19 go on to impact different political regimes? Did it support authoritarianism, and did it erode democracy? In this book, Due-Gundersen discusses what elements of political legitimacy world leaders drew on to justify COVID restrictions.
It traces the history of how China, Saudi Arabia, Britain, and the United States responded to previous pandemics and examines to what extent leaders in power attempted to centralize their authority in the years leading up to COVID.
Through analysis of public discourse given in response to COVID and vaccine development, Due-Gundersen uses novel methodology to measure political legitimacy and political persuasion. This reveals how COVID affected democratic and non-democratic legitimacy.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781350581258
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 30 April 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic
Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 20.0mm
Width: 156.0mm
Height: 232.0mm
Weight: 300g
Pages: 256
About the Author
Nicolai Due-Gundersen is an independent researcher and former Lecturer for the United Nations. He is the author of The Privatization of Warfare (2018) and Defending Dictatorship (2022). He runs ndgmena.com on field projects in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Kuwait. His articles have appeared in The Independent, Open Democracy and The New Arab and he has appeared as commentator on Sky News, Al Jazeera and CGTN America.
Also by Dr Nicolai Due-Gundersen
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Covidocracy
In December 2019, China reported the first COVID cases to the World Health Organization, going on to impose lockdowns as early as January 2020. Saudi Arabia announced national curfews after only a few hundred cases, under threat of fines and jailtime. By mid-March, the UK too, went into its first lockdown. But how did COVID-19 go on to impact different...Hardback$17900Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 2-3 weeks
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