Dronningegambit

Magtcentralisering, hård lockdown – og en bekymret befolkning, der dog bakkede op

Abstract

The Queen’s Gambit: Power centralisation, hard lockdown and a worried – yet supportive – population

What characterised the political decision-making process behind the Danish Covid-19 strategy? Who were the central actors, and which institutions played a pivotal role in the early and rapid pandemic decisions? Furthermore, how did the Danish citizens respond to the national pandemic strategy? Despite ideological division lines, did they support the government’s overall strategy? I here answer these questions. First, I account for the political context in which the pandemic hit in early 2020. I then turn to the Danish response, which was characterised by strong and centralised leadership. Additionally, the pandemic strategy, which included one of Europe’s most rapid and hard lockdowns, enjoyed strong support in the public as well as little political opposition in the first phases of the pandemic, albeit the population also showed democratic concerns about revised pandemic laws and centralisation of power. The article focuses on the the first period of the pandemic from March–June 2020.