Abstract

In the midst of the current coronavirus pandemic, there has been a wide array of policy responses from different countries as leaders attempt to find the right balance between public health, the health of the economy, and people’s personal freedoms and liberties. This begs the question: what explains the variation in different countries' approach to handling the pandemic? Using a sample of 64 countries' data on COVID-19 protective policy responses, this paper looks at populist leaders as a potential explanation to this question. More specifically theorizing that countries with populist leaders will respond less swiftly and effectively to the pandemic because of their tendency to deny science, distill distrust in institutions, and spread disinformation. Secondly, this paper considers ideology alongside populism, with the understanding that right-wing and left-wing ideology may not look the same. Thus, the second theory suggests that right-wing populists in particular will respond less swiftly and effectively since anti-establishment and cultural populism seem to manifest on the right. The partial support for the findings of this research illuminate the potential weaknesses of populist leadership in the midst of a public health crisis. However, further research should be conducted to gain more insight into the relationship between the populist leadership style and crises responses.

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