A Case Study of Subnational Coordination in a Crisis: The U.S. National Governors Association and COVID-19

Whether on climate change, migration, or humanitarian response, subnational coordination has become an increasingly important feature of responses to crisis across the world in the 21st century. Subnational (provincial, state and municipal) governments are described by McKinsey as "crisis nerve centers" - highly agile, coordinated bodies that can bring together stakeholders and mobilize civil society in support of central government - or in some cases, to compensate for the lack of leadership from central government.

Each country's experience of the COVID-19 pandemic has to some extent been shaped by this subnational response. This response has been shaped in turn by that country's history, political system and current political reality. While France's response has been coordinated strongly from Paris, the measures taken in the UK and particularly in Germany, Italy and Spain have been more decentralized, with varying degrees of success. In Turkey, one of the countries currently on the steepest upward curve of cases, the subnational response has evolved from "cooperation to competition to and finally confrontation." In China, local officials in Wuhan were blamed by Beijing for the crisis, and found little support from other regional governments.

The response in the United States, which now has the highest number of cases in the world, is particularly unique. Since the earliest days of this mounting crisis, governors have helmed efforts to control the spread of the virus and safeguard public health. As infection rates rise and mitigation measures take their inevitable toll on the economy, the National Governors Association (NGA) has mobilized to provide its members with an unprecedented level of continuous assistance, with a focus on disseminating updated information from the federal government and virtually convening state officials to identify urgent needs and communicate effective practices. These efforts are being led by the NGA Center for Best Practices, a non-profit, 501c(3) devoted to identifying and sharing best practices in state public policy for the nation’s governors.

This webinar will look at the United States as a case study of subnational coordination in response to crisis. Join us for a discussion with Timothy Blute, Director of the NGA Center for Best Practices, and Tom Kalil, Chief Innovation Officer at Schmidt Futures, to learn more about this pivotal and unprecedented subnational coordination in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Please click here for a funding brief with more details on the NGA's COVID-19 response to date.