The military, police, and government play substantial roles in planning and implementing relief measures (Kalkman, 2020, p. 99). In Peru, narcotics, insurgencies, and most recently the sanitary...Show moreThe military, police, and government play substantial roles in planning and implementing relief measures (Kalkman, 2020, p. 99). In Peru, narcotics, insurgencies, and most recently the sanitary emergency created by COVID-19 constitute a trifold ongoing crisis. This thesis acknowledges that states of emergency enable the military’s operational advantages during complex domestic challenges. This thesis conducted interviews employing quota sampling, reaching out to military officials involved in planning and implementing military COVID-19 relief in Peru. With the theoretical lens provided by strategic theory, the interviews’ content offered profound insight into the practical differences between strategic planning, policy implementation, and the obtained outcomes comparing the port of Callao and the Valley of the Apurimac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers (VRAEM), two previously militarized regions in Peru. This thesis concludes that previous militarization affected the implementation process of COVID19 relief, constituting a source for policy flexibility, adaptability, and the creation of collaborative frameworks.Show less
At the beginning of 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic took the world by surprise. It had quickly spread from China to all regions of the world causing a severe increase in hospitalizations and...Show moreAt the beginning of 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic took the world by surprise. It had quickly spread from China to all regions of the world causing a severe increase in hospitalizations and mortalities. This led to governments implementing measures in order to limit the consequences of the virus. However, government approaches varied significantly despite the fact that they were all dealing with the same virus. This research examines how governments justify their chosen Covid-19 strategies and how this justification varied between countries. The two strategies that are analysed are the eradication and mitigation strategy adopted by the countries New Zealand, Australia, England and the Netherlands. A qualitative content analysis seeks to identify the main reasons provided by Prime Minister for their chosen Covid-19 strategy. Transcripts of Covid press conferences made by the Prime Minister of the countries involved were collected for the analysis of the data. The analysis shows that the countries who followed the eradication strategy justified their chosen strategy by putting more emphasis on the elements health implications for their population and the economic impact caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Countries who opted for the mitigation strategy emphasized the possibility of exceeding their healthcare capacity more in addition to the possible economic impact. Both set of countries named economic impact of Covid-19 and related measures as a main reason for their strategy, but they differed in the reasons health implications for their population and exceeding their healthcare capacity.Show less
In December 2019, the first case of the SARS-Cov-2 virus was identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China (Lavazza & Farina, 2021). In the next few months, the virus spread rapidly across Asia,...Show moreIn December 2019, the first case of the SARS-Cov-2 virus was identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China (Lavazza & Farina, 2021). In the next few months, the virus spread rapidly across Asia, Europe and North America, many countries responding with far reaching COVID-19 measures: closing shops, travel bans and lockdowns (Taylor, 2021). In order to avoid social unrest and to create trust among the people, many governments appealed to experts to advise and justify unpopular and strict COVID-19 measures such as quarantine and lockdowns (Lavazza & Farina, 2020). In The Netherlands, the Outbreak Management Team (OMT) took on this role, by advising the Dutch government, as part of the RIVM, in case of a cross-regional/national outbreak of an infectious disease, like the COVID-19 virus (RIVM, 2021). In this thesis, the author analyses twelve press conferences by Dutch government officials during the first COVID-19 wave in the Netherlands. The aim of this research is to demonstrate how the Dutch cabinet used the OMT to gain legitimacy for the build up and reduction of COVID-19 measures. A Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is used to analyse linguistic aspects and identify discourses and themes wherein the Dutch government gains public support and justifies different actions taken (Van Dijk, 1993). This research will specifically compare how the role of OMT is portrayed differently between the build up and reduction of COVID-19 measures. The author hypothesized that the OMT is more often and strongly referred to in the build up of measures compared to the reduction of measures. This study sheds light on the broader topic of experts in the COVID-19 crisis, crisis communication and the broader tension between the role of experts and creating legitimacy in decision making.Show less
