The value conflict between freedom and security: Explaining the variation of COVID-19 policies in democracies and autocracies
In the name of health security, individual freedoms were constrained in an unprecedented way in many countries, democratic or authoritarian, all over the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet the constraints have not been consistent across countries, which motivates this paper to examine the relev...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
|
| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9462556/?tool=EBI |
| _version_ | 1811261275147075584 |
|---|---|
| author | Nicole J. Saam Carmen Friedrich Henriette Engelhardt |
| author_facet | Nicole J. Saam Carmen Friedrich Henriette Engelhardt |
| author_sort | Nicole J. Saam |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the name of health security, individual freedoms were constrained in an unprecedented way in many countries, democratic or authoritarian, all over the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet the constraints have not been consistent across countries, which motivates this paper to examine the relevance of value preferences towards freedom or security in the society for COVID-19 policies. Based on data for 40 democratic and authoritarian countries, the analyses show that the variation in the stringency of COVID-19 policies can be explained by value preferences of the population only in autocracies. In democracies, however, we do not find such a relationship. Governments in democratic political systems, we argue, are responsive to their constitutions and face prosecution by the judiciary if they violate the law or provisions of the constitution, limiting their capacity to implement strong COVID-19 policies. Nevertheless, their COVID-19 policies restricted citizens’ freedoms and liberties, which means that these policies were rather not responsive to citizens’ preferences for freedom, democratic rights and liberties. By highlighting how autocracies respond to their citizens’ value preferences for security, this paper contributes to a better understanding of how autocracies might gain legitimacy in times of crises. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T19:01:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fc7f07af46534c65b8b3ebebc4ad440f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T19:01:34Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-fc7f07af46534c65b8b3ebebc4ad440f2022-12-22T03:20:09ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-01179The value conflict between freedom and security: Explaining the variation of COVID-19 policies in democracies and autocraciesNicole J. SaamCarmen FriedrichHenriette EngelhardtIn the name of health security, individual freedoms were constrained in an unprecedented way in many countries, democratic or authoritarian, all over the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet the constraints have not been consistent across countries, which motivates this paper to examine the relevance of value preferences towards freedom or security in the society for COVID-19 policies. Based on data for 40 democratic and authoritarian countries, the analyses show that the variation in the stringency of COVID-19 policies can be explained by value preferences of the population only in autocracies. In democracies, however, we do not find such a relationship. Governments in democratic political systems, we argue, are responsive to their constitutions and face prosecution by the judiciary if they violate the law or provisions of the constitution, limiting their capacity to implement strong COVID-19 policies. Nevertheless, their COVID-19 policies restricted citizens’ freedoms and liberties, which means that these policies were rather not responsive to citizens’ preferences for freedom, democratic rights and liberties. By highlighting how autocracies respond to their citizens’ value preferences for security, this paper contributes to a better understanding of how autocracies might gain legitimacy in times of crises.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9462556/?tool=EBI |
| spellingShingle | Nicole J. Saam Carmen Friedrich Henriette Engelhardt The value conflict between freedom and security: Explaining the variation of COVID-19 policies in democracies and autocracies PLoS ONE |
| title | The value conflict between freedom and security: Explaining the variation of COVID-19 policies in democracies and autocracies |
| title_full | The value conflict between freedom and security: Explaining the variation of COVID-19 policies in democracies and autocracies |
| title_fullStr | The value conflict between freedom and security: Explaining the variation of COVID-19 policies in democracies and autocracies |
| title_full_unstemmed | The value conflict between freedom and security: Explaining the variation of COVID-19 policies in democracies and autocracies |
| title_short | The value conflict between freedom and security: Explaining the variation of COVID-19 policies in democracies and autocracies |
| title_sort | value conflict between freedom and security explaining the variation of covid 19 policies in democracies and autocracies |
| url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9462556/?tool=EBI |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nicolejsaam thevalueconflictbetweenfreedomandsecurityexplainingthevariationofcovid19policiesindemocraciesandautocracies AT carmenfriedrich thevalueconflictbetweenfreedomandsecurityexplainingthevariationofcovid19policiesindemocraciesandautocracies AT henrietteengelhardt thevalueconflictbetweenfreedomandsecurityexplainingthevariationofcovid19policiesindemocraciesandautocracies AT nicolejsaam valueconflictbetweenfreedomandsecurityexplainingthevariationofcovid19policiesindemocraciesandautocracies AT carmenfriedrich valueconflictbetweenfreedomandsecurityexplainingthevariationofcovid19policiesindemocraciesandautocracies AT henrietteengelhardt valueconflictbetweenfreedomandsecurityexplainingthevariationofcovid19policiesindemocraciesandautocracies |