[Policy Report No. 136] Zheng Yongnian & Wang Qi: How to adjust the direction of epidemic prevention policy smoothly
Authored on:2022-04-15
Keywords Epidemic prevention policy COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The purpose of this report is not to analyze what the right current policy is, such as whether to stick to a "Dynamic zero clearance" policy, as this will need to be done through professional evaluation. The purpose of this report is to analyze how all levels of government have handled crisis events and why they have done so. We believe that the way governments at all levels have handled the crisis is inseparable from their unique national governance structure. Therefore, the central government's performance evaluation and work guidance for local governments should be shifted to economic indicators as soon as possible, especially considering their achievements in exploring new economic forms, so as to gradually reduce the current situation that "epidemic prevention" is elevated to a political task. In addition, the government can also support the private economy through a series of measures, in terms of import and export, overseas market opportunities, the unified construction of the domestic market, and breaking the institutional restrictions on the flow of "goods" and "people" to promote the circulation of people, money and goods. At the same time, actively expand the import and export and domestic regions between the "material" flow channels. Countries open international markets for enterprises by joining international trade agreements. Governments can do this by investing in the "new infrastructure" on which the development of digital technologies depends.

Research Questions

  • The reasons behind the government's excessive response to the pandemic
  • How to deal with the critical incident during the epidemic control process