Decentralization

Pathology

Sociology

Disease

Crisis management

National Policy

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Social science

Infectious disease (medical specialty)

Pandemic

Politics

Outbreak

Political economy

Political science

Virology

Economics

Face (sociological concept)

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak

Medicine

Policy Studies

Why do countries respond differently when they face the same pandemic? In this article, we comparatively investigate the effects of policy styles in shaping responses to the COVID-19 crisis in two European countries: Greece and Sweden. Extending the concept of policy styles to extraordinary policymaking, we argue that political trust and policy styles result in national responses that range from centralization to decentralization. The combination of policy styles and political trust inevitably raises questions about the role of experts in shaping responses to pandemics. We conclude with implications for theories of national policy styles, political trust and crisis management.

Policy styles and political trust in Europe’s national responses to the COVID-19 crisis