Explaining Subnational Variations in India's Pandemic Response: State Capacity, Covid-Contingency, or Partisan Federalism?
This study examines the role of state capacity, COVID-19 contingency, and partisan federalism in explaining variation in COVID-19 mortality and under-reporting across Indian states. A multiple linear regression reveals that better health infrastructure and welfare regimes reduce excess deaths and un...
| Publicado en: | Publius: The Journal of Federalism Vol. 56; no. 2; pp. 504 - 539 |
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| Autores principales: | , |
| Formato: | Artículo |
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Oxford University Press / USA
Spring2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=192964325&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 192964325 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00485950 UBL jtl: Publius: The Journal of Federalism issn: 00485950 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Spring2026 vid: 56 iid: 2 pid: 622 pub: Oxford University Press / USA artinfo: ui: 192964325 10.1093/publius/pjaf049 ppf: 504 ppct: 35 formats: tig: atl: Explaining Subnational Variations in India's Pandemic Response: State Capacity, Covid-Contingency, or Partisan Federalism? aug: au: Sharma, Chanchal Kumar Swenden, Wilfried affil: Department of Political Science, Central University of Haryana, Mahendragarh 123001, IndiaInstitute of Asian Studies, German Institute for Global and Area Studies, Hamburg 20354, Germany Department of Political Science, School of Social and Political Science (SSPS), University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH89LD, UK su: India Public welfare Federal government Pandemic preparedness COVID-19 pandemic Partisanship Public sector Public health infrastructure sug: subj: Public welfare Federal government Pandemic preparedness COVID-19 pandemic Partisanship Public sector India Health and Welfare Funds Administration of Human Resource Programs (except Education, Public Health, and Veterans' Affairs Programs) Other Individual and Family Services Emergency and Other Relief Services Public health infrastructure keyword: copyrightHolder:CSF Associates Inc. copyrightYear:2026 COVID-19 crisis governance inLanguage:en partisan federalism publisher:Oxford University Press sameAs:https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/publius/pjaf049 state capacity copyrightHolder:CSF Associates Inc. copyrightYear:2026 COVID-19 crisis governance inLanguage:en partisan federalism publisher:Oxford University Press sameAs:https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/publius/pjaf049 state capacity ab: This study examines the role of state capacity, COVID-19 contingency, and partisan federalism in explaining variation in COVID-19 mortality and under-reporting across Indian states. A multiple linear regression reveals that better health infrastructure and welfare regimes reduce excess deaths and under-reporting. Human development, however, is paradoxically linked to higher mortality—likely due to older populations and greater mobility—though it correlates with greater reporting accuracy. However, affiliation with the center is positively associated with both excess deaths and under-reporting, contradicting expectations of improved coordination. Our qualitative analysis suggests that affiliated states were more likely to operate under tacit or imposed cooperation vis-à-vis the center and to adopt power-concentrating governance that constrained local responsiveness. In contrast, nonaffiliated states—less bound by centralized party incentives—tended to pursue power-sharing modes at the state level that enabled local responsiveness. Our findings underscore the importance of investing in health infrastructure, social welfare, and institutionalized shared-rule mechanisms. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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