The Role of Administrative Traditions in “Special Way” Of Swedish Disease Management

Abstract

The study examines the first phase of government responses to the coronavirus, identified as a pandemic in March 2020, based on the relevant literature as well as primarily expert papers and databases. It relies on the hypothesis that the models adopted by the Nordic countries highlight the crucial role of administrative and policy traditions, as well as the ‘path dependency’ with historical roots in the wake of building strategies and institutions for disease management. This is underlined by the first phase of Swedish disease management, often referred to as “special” in comparison with general European practice, which aimed to keep balance between voluntarism and rigour, relying on the high degree of autonomy of its administrative institutions. The study concludes, that many factors could have an impact on the effectiveness of the different disease management strategies, within which the institutional stability, including the ability to change and adapt, plays a key role.