Analyzing the role of ‘States’ in face of a Global Pandemic

Abstract
The paper incorporates and shed light on the inevitability of State as an institution of power and
accountability. It’s relevance can not be questioned even when world has turned into a
transnational global village. It highlights the theories Realism and Constructivism providing
view of importance of Westphalian State system and sovereignty. State had an enormous moral,
economic, political and social obligation to cater the needs of its citizens during the Global
Pandemic and rebuild the shattered economy at the earliest.

Keywords
Global Pandemic, State sovereignty, Realism, Constructivism, Transnational.

Introduction
It is important to comprehend that in contemporary times the behavior of one state affects that of
all others. In the face of the global pandemic, they are on an increased role as a welfare state, as
people are highly dependent on them. It was a continuous battle for the states to not only increase
their national sovereignty and promote internal peace but also morally cooperate and extend help
to the other states that were in need of aid or support. It was testing times for a country like ours,
wherein a massive population calls for increased responsibility to face Coronavirus. It was a long
fight, but with the state coming to play a major role, the restructuring was strong and it’s
devastations was absorbed somehow. This pandemic has shown the world that everyone, rich or
poor requires the help of the State at all times. Even though the pandemic was a global
phenomenon, it reinforces the notion of national sovereignty as the virus fails to recognize global
boundaries, all States are putting their citizens first and aim to cater domestic needs before
others.

Realism and Constructivist theory for State

Constructivist theory

The role of the states can be best analyzed from “constructivism” as an ideology in International
Relations. Constructivism defines that nation states should be considerate of various actors
(vulnerable groups, public being stakeholders) their interests, beliefs, objectives and behaviors.
Global corporates and private MNC’s and TNCs have failed to sustain labor, and have
immediately looked to meet their needs and reap the benefits. Another central issue to
constructivism is identities and interests. Constructivists argue that States possess various
identities that are socially constructed through interactions with other actors. They are relevant to
constructivists as they argue that identities constitute interests and actions. For example, the
identity of a smaller state implies a set of interests that are different from those implied by the
identity of a larger state. The small state is more focused on its survival, whereas the large state
is maybe concerned with dominating global affairs. This issue might explain why Germany,
despite being a great super power with a leading global economy, did not become a military
power in the second half of the twentieth century. Following the atrocities and experiences of
Adolf Hitler’s Nazi, German political identity shifted from one of militarism to pacifism due to
unique historical circumstances and shared experiences. Thus, state reacts in accordance to its
historical roots and that makes shapes the behavior of any state.

Realist theory of State

The basic assumption of Realist theory is that the nation state is the principle actor in
International Relations. Other bodies exist , such as individual groups and voluntary
organization, but their power is limited. Also state is a unitary actor. National interests,
especially in times of war, lead the state to speak and act with one voice. States live a state of
anarchy as there is absence of anyone being in charge internationally, thereby states can
ultimately only rely on themselves.

The realists have been critiqued for ignoring the fact that the international system is composed of
other international organizations, non-state actors, non-governmental organizations, and key
players, however, the role played by a nation-state is quite imperative. State is an important
institution as it carries out various basic roles like protecting their citizens, providing them with
basic welfare facilities, building and maintaining relations with other countries and above all
maintaining law and order in their sovereign territory.

Our contemporary interpretation of a State is dictated by the process of globalization. Not only
has there been a decline in the state sovereignty, the borders separating states have been blurred
and rendered virtual. The decision of state holds importance as the world order sustains on the
action of each State and one wrong decision can strike war in a few days’ time ( Russian –
Ukraine War) whereas one helpful action can pave the way for cooperation and friendship for
years. In both advanced and less developed world, the success of domestic policy relies on the
global performance of nation state and on ability of state officials to secure an accommodating
environment.
State’s Relevance in Globalized World

State is the purveyor of basic amenities like health, education, security and law & order in any
society. Globalization is an all encompassing process, denoting greater inter-connectedness of
the world and people. Hyperglobalists ( Fukuyama and Kenichi Omahe) vehemently support the
process of globalization and believe that the Westphalian State system has become irrelevant
given the greater ascendance of non state actors such as TNC’S . They imply that power of
National governments are declining and eroding due to rise of global capitalism, governance and
civil society. However state’s relevance is upheld by the Skeptics who believe in continued
existence of state and regional economic blocs. This can be exemplified by the role of state in
economic restructuring post 2008 financial crisis, or the COVID-19 Pandemic. At the end it is
the government that formulates policies, negotiate multilateral agreements , curate norms and
lays the procedure to carry out activities, provides a legal framework for functioning of any
business. They have reinforced and enhanced the importance of state existence in a Global
society. The sovereignty has not been entirely dislodged and this the state cannot be simply
written off.

The non state actors often fail to remain committed to a nation’s public safety because of their
transnational and biased character. They are biased as are indirectly controlled by the Western
institutions and is driven by profit maxim. International aid and funding, especially from the G-
20, has been grossly inadequate and met with bureaucratic delays at all the stages. While states
expected international aid and borrowings from the IMF and World Bank, they were met with
inadequate aid as the most developed nations approached “inward-looking” policy and focused
merely on “choosing” which country to assign for the origin of the pandemic and benefit their
governments at the first place. Also, there is a lot of information asymmetry, whereby
developing nation-states cannot comprehend the true nature of the crisis, and do not have the
capabilities to analyze the nuances of the pandemic.

Role of state during Pandemic

Before the pandemic, states would hugely rely on external actors: intergovernmental
organization like UN, financial institutions like the World Bank, IMF, regional groupings like
EU, ASEAN, trade blocs and other multilateral forums. Such an amount of interdependence and
exposure with external actors reduced state’s preparation to confront any higher-order escalation,
most of whom lacked pandemic preparedness and health infrastructure. In the course of time, the
role of states in terms of providing welfare, health and other essential commodities has been
strategically taken over by non-state actors like the private corporates, MNC’s. They are
incentivized to serve the public as it enables “economies of scale” ( where the Average long run
costs of firms decline as production increases ) and “market penetration” for the large corporates.
Consequently, the government is left with lesser incentive to serve and maintain the interests of
the public and pumps in lesser funds and resources due to the competition with private
corporations. However, in times of huge scale crisis , the government has to take a step further
and re-iterate its public safety and public welfare principles. The corruption, inefficiency has to
be contained in order to deliver the services to the target audience. At the end, state exists for its
people, and it is the responsibility of state to mitigate the harms caused by Pandemic.

Institutions like G-20, have largely failed, as no definable and measurable metric for a “global
response” to fight the pandemic existed on grounds. World Health Organization (WHO) was
unable to curate a robust approach and was strained in its internal finance issues due to the
inward policies of the developed countries, particularly the West. In such situations, the role of
the “state” becomes important as it shapes the intensity, nature, scale and frequency of a crisis.
The state, being a rational actor, does what is best for its citizens not just anticipatory action.
Here the Public Health Institutions run by government play a very crucial role in protecting the
citizens of the nation. They must consider strategic planning and public health outcomes as a
primary responsibility and there should be a promotion of inter-municipal or inter-city
collaboration to mitigate the crisis response. Greater coordination amongst officials in such
institutions and non corruptive tendencies often tends to lead to better, and more efficient rollout
schemes. The state plays a huge role in terms of promoting precautionary behavior including
vaccination, and in terms of developing robust test check-ups and continuation of medical
services. The role of the state needs to be re- emphasized in terms of providing health security
which should be at the core of the response and the rollout of schemes. Digitization of existing
services is crucial for assisting programs and ensuring equitable distribution.

Effective Governance – Need of the Hour

This pandemic has shown the world that everyone, rich or poor requires the help of the State
equally at such times. Even though the pandemic is a global phenomenon, it reinforces the notion
of national sovereignty, while the virus fails to recognize boundaries, all States are prioritizing
their citizens first. A State’s economic strength is usually measure by its ability to kick start the
economy, generate jobs for people, and increase people’s buying power thereby driving the
consumption demand. The states need to view this pandemic as a window for betterment in their
health sector and overcoming the existing loopholes which are mostly ignored. Some nation-
states wanted to liberate their states from import dependency such as imports of some health-
related products like sanitary gloves or masks which is better than begging for Chinese ones
during a crisis. The relationship between the government (Political Elites) and the society
(Citizens and civil society) has come to a standstill wherein people are finding it increasingly
difficult to hold the government accountable. During such times, the State has to shoulder the
responsibility of spreading awareness amongst its citizens and work to strengthen the communal
glue. Data should be provided error free and true numbers should be reflected so it can gain
citizen’s trust and shows them the real picture enhancing their confidence in government.

There is one global responsibility which is binding upon all the states, to implement the
guidelines laid down by WHO in the face of this global pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has
underscored the need for the state to put in place policies, strategies and institutionalized means
of ensuring social protection for all, especially the casual daily wage earners who have lost their
jobs miserably , tourism and hospitality sector. Easy credit, increased investment by government
should be prioritized.

India lags the necessary health infrastructure, still after the pandemic even though efforts were
made preparedness remained low. Indian government took stringent measures to curb the virus
like lockdowns, social distancing, closure of educational institutions, discontinuation of non
essential services and work from home among others, it was crucial to contain the spread of
deadly virus. For the world’s most populous country, it was still commendable job and effective
governance carried on by the state irrespective of all the flaws.

Conclusion
In the space of these years, the COVID-19 pandemic grew deadly, killing thousands and making
ill millions while placing an unprecedented strain on health care systems, mental health and
economies worldwide. The pandemic, effects of which, while still not fully known, are expected
to run deep and long. To address the COVID-19 crisis efficiently, the state needs to be a
collaborator, creating partnerships with civil society, international organizations, other nations
and private sector so as to inclusively engage all communities, governments and stakeholders in
efforts to find solutions to the various challenges posed by the pandemic that affected the world
globally. Law enforcement efforts will also rely on trust and collaboration from the citizens, as
some people may refrain and not follow the guidelines given by the national or local authorities
and as a consequence, pose a danger to society as a whole. The policies the government curates,
the strategies it employs, the emergency services it delivers, and the directives and guidelines it
issues must be seen to be benefiting everyone in the country equally so as to foster equity and
solidarity. At the end, a unified approach is all that is need of the hour.

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