Leadership in the Time of Covid : : Pandemic Responses in Central Europe / / ed. by Joshua M. Hayden, George Hays II, Milada Polišenská.

• HerausgeberIn: Hayden, Joshua M.,; Hays II, George,; Polišenská, Milada,
• Place / Publishing House: Budapest ;, New York : : Central European University Press, , [2023]; 2023
• Year of Publication: 2023
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (300 p.)

The Covid pandemic has put all modern societies to a serious test of resilience. The interdisciplinary research on which this book is based examined how four European governments behaved in these circumstances. During the months of the crisis, the team of experts coordinated by the editors of this volume took a close look at the decision-making processes in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia - the so-called Visegrad Four. The inquiries focused on experiences from the academic, health, economic and social fields. The methods of comparison included surveys, interviews, discourse analysis, for which the adaptive leadership theory provided the conceptual framework. The conclusions are both academic and practical. Aside the description of the pandemic responses, the research had a formative dimension: how can an adaptive leadership approach better help societies manage the health and societal impacts of similar challenges? The spectrum of emerging anti-democratic tendencies in the region provided the specific context of the exercise. The four states face varying degrees of democratic backsliding as well as illiberal influences that have affected their response to the pandemic, which gives this research on the Visegrad Four a worldwide resonance.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- List of Tables -- List of Figures -- List of Appendices -- List of Boxes -- Introduction -- Leadership Framework -- Chapter Outline -- 1 The Czech Republic: The "Best in Covid" -- Survey: Czech Covid Leadership Response Questionnaire -- Discussion and Conclusion -- Appendix 1.1 Czech Covid Leadership Response Questionnaire -- Appendix 1.2 Covid Pandemic Leadership Open-Ended Comments -- 2 Slovakia: In the Shadow of Sputnik -- The Slovak Case -- Opinion Polls: Analysis of Slovak Public Opinion during Covid-19 -- Conclusion -- Appendix 2.1 Overview of Selected Events -- 3 Poland: A Two Front Battle -- Sources of Data and Background -- The Polish Case -- Interview: The Attitude of Entrepreneurs in Poland during the First Wave of the Covid-19 Pandemic and after the Adoption of the Vaccine -- Discussion and Conclusion -- Appendix 3.1 Questionnaire Intended for the First and Second Stage of the Study -- 4 Hungary: The Enemy Is Everywhere -- The Hungarian Case -- Discourse Analysis: The Communication Style of Viktor Orbán in the Epidemic -- Discussion and Conclusion -- 5 Conclusion: Following the Leader -- Meta-Analysis -- Adaptive Leadership and Democracy -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- List of Contributors -- Index