The Lancet Public Health: Authoritarianism, outbreaks, and information politics
Matthew M. Kavanagh, visiting professor of law, assistant professor of global health, and director of the Global Health Policy and Governance Initiative at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, discusses the information and accountability challenges authoritarian governments face when addressing an outbreak, and in particular, how information politics could undermine rapid response to a disease outbreak like the coronavirus. Kavanagh writes, “[I]n building capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to outbreaks, democratic openness and competitive politics seem more asset than inadequacy” (2/13).