New Books in Political Science
Pandemic Power: The Covid Response and the Erosion of Democracy - A Liberal Critique
Apr 12, 2025
Muriel Blaive, a socio-political historian specializing in post-communist Europe, joins for a deep dive into her latest book on the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on democracy. She discusses how emergencies can erode democratic norms and suppress dissent, revealing parallels with past authoritarian regimes. Blaive critiques the role of liberal intellectuals in straying from their values, while highlighting the disparities caused by pandemic policies. The conversation is a call for critical debate and greater accountability in governance and media.
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Quick takeaways
- Governments exploited the COVID pandemic to expand control, suppress dissent, and bypass democratic norms through emergency laws and media influence.
- The pandemic normalized authoritarian tactics such as public shaming and social pressure against dissenters, undermining social tolerance and civil liberties.
Deep dives
The Connection Between Crisis and Government Control
The author emphasizes how governments often leverage crises, such as the COVID pandemic, to expand their control and suppress dissent. Drawing from historical patterns, it is highlighted that drastic measures, like lockdowns, were enacted without debate, indicating a significant bypassing of democratic norms. The pandemic exemplified a classic scenario in which governments enacted emergency laws under the guise of public safety, often silencing opposition through media control rather than open repression. This tendency raises concerns that such measures, once enacted, may continue to persist long after the crisis, fundamentally altering the landscape of democratic governance.
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