S4E29 Pt. 1 In Covid’s Wake: How our Politics Failed Us: A Conversation with Frances Lee

Mar 12, 2025

Join Frances Lee, a Politics and Public Affairs Professor at Princeton and co-author of 'In COVID’s Wake', as she candidly assesses the pandemic's impact on U.S. politics. She discusses how political polarization skewed crisis responses and highlights the dire implications for essential workers versus the 'laptop class.' Lee emphasizes the need for transparency and diverse perspectives in policymaking to rebuild public trust and ensure better preparedness for future crises. This insightful conversation offers a critical look at our political failures during an unprecedented time.

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INSIGHT

Risks of Publishing on COVID-19

Frances Lee discusses the risks of publishing on the politically charged topic of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She highlights the intense moral outrage and online hostility directed at those who questioned the mainstream narrative.

INSIGHT

Unique Post-COVID Response

The post-COVID response lacked bipartisan investigation, unlike the scrutiny after 9/11 or Katrina.
Prior pandemics like the 1918 flu had limited national responses, making inquiries less pressing.

INSIGHT

Politicization of the Pandemic

COVID-19's arrival during an election year intensified political polarization.
Democrats blamed the president's controversial handling of the pandemic, hindering a unified response.

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In the first part of our two-part conversation on Madison’s Notes, we speak with Frances Lee, Professor of Politics and Public Affairs at Princeton University, about her co-authored book In COVID’s Wake (Princeton UP, 2025). The book offers a comprehensive and candid political assessment of how institutions performed during the pandemic. It explores how governments, influenced by Wuhan’s lockdown, deviated from existing pandemic plans, leading to policies that often favored the “laptop class” while leaving essential workers vulnerable. Extended school closures disproportionately affected less-privileged families, and the politicization of science marginalized dissent. Lee and her co-author, Stephen Macedo, argue that future crises must uphold the values of liberal democracy: tolerance, respect for evidence, and a commitment to truth.

This discussion dives into key questions raised in the book, including the importance of conducting a post-mortem of the pandemic response. Lee highlighted how polarization in the two-party system complicates evaluations of what worked and what didn’t. We also explored the role of states as “laboratories” for different responses and whether meaningful comparisons can be drawn between them. Lee reflected on why pre-existing pandemic plans were abandoned and how the pandemic strained the public’s trust in media, policy advisors, and academic institutions. The ambiguity of desired policy outcomes, she noted, often hindered rational cost-benefit analysis, further complicating the response.

Lee emphasized the value of embracing complexity and ambiguity in conversations about societal and political issues. By examining the pandemic’s lessons, “In COVID’s Wake” challenges readers to consider how we can better prepare for future crises while staying true to democratic principles.

Madison’s Notes is the podcast of Princeton University’s James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions.

Contributions to and/or sponsorship of any speaker does not constitute departmental or institutional endorsement of the specific program, speakers or views presented.