Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LEGITIMULT (Legitimate crisis management and multilevel governance)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2022-10-01 do 2023-09-30
The LEGITIMULT project centers on scrutinizing decisions, measures, and processes influencing democratic governance, primarily through the lens of Multilevel Governance (MLG). Examining crisis politics extends beyond the national sphere to include supranational and international entities like the EU and WHO, as well as regional and local levels. The contention is that these varied actors play pivotal roles in crisis management, with crucial decisions distributed across these levels. The project seeks to comprehend who made decisions (actor-perspective), how decisions were made (process perspective), and the interplay among actors and processes within and across countries (intergovernmental relations perspective). Focusing on the Covid-19 pandemic, the project aims to evaluate the impact of crisis measures on democracy, specifically on rule of law, democratic participation, human and minority rights, trust, and economic sustainability. It delves into how Multilevel Governance influences decision-making, implementation of measures, and overall democratic governance. The LEGITIMULT Impact Strategy involves active engagement with stakeholders such as policy-makers at subnational, national, EU, and international levels, ordinary citizens, and the scientific community. The overarching goal is to create a toolkit for legitimate crisis governance applicable beyond the project's duration. The project involves developing a new dataset analyzing Covid-19 measures taken by 31 European countries, considering the impact of multilevel governance institutions and intergovernmental relations on these measures and on democracy and human rights. The intention is to assess when global and supranational institutions should act and how they can best intervene. During the implementation of Work Package 7, research findings will be applied in activities across four different countries to involve citizens, gather their opinions on crisis management, and enhance awareness of decision-making processes. All research findings will be consolidated and disseminated through various tools, primarily targeting policy and decision-makers. The resultant Toolkit on Legitimate Crisis Governance stands as the project's primary output, serving as a comprehensive resource for decision-makers to navigate future crises from a decision-making perspective. The proactive engagement with stakeholders, the emphasis on diverse perspectives, and the practical application of research findings underscore the project's commitment to fostering legitimate crisis governance and contributing valuable insights for future crisis management.
The LEGITIMULT project employs various work packages (WPs) to analyze the impact of Covid-19 measures on democratic governance. WP1 collects data to assess how crisis governance affected Multilevel Governance (MLG) institutions and intergovernmental relations, collaborating closely with International IDEA's Global Democracy Barometer. WP2 focuses on the driving factors behind protests against Covid-19 measures, reviewing literature on legitimate crisis governance in MLG contexts and designing a qualitative study on crisis governance modes. WP3 examines democratic participation and the rule of law, collecting data on emergency law-making, parliamentary and court roles, and individuals' political rights. It conducts ex-post legislative oversight studies based on the collected data. WP4 assesses the impact on non-discrimination and minority rights, reviewing literature and conducting in-depth interviews with affected minority communities, providing a methodological framework for further analysis. WP5 investigates the impact on individuals' trust, conducting a literature review, designing a survey experiment, and analyzing data to explore why certain crisis measures are trusted more. Finally, WP6 focuses on economic and fiscal aspects, surveying relevant literature on methodological debates, integrating economics, political science, and political economy to discuss measures' impact and legitimacy. These WPs collectively contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted impact of Covid-19 measures on democratic governance.
The project has so far focused on collection of literature and data in order to start elaborate the Toolkit through which provide support for Legitimate Crisis Governance. The toolkit will be available for using by a variety of stakeholders through different tools such as an e-learning course and media guidelines, as well as through continued practitioner seminars. A new dataset on the impact of MLG institutions and MLG IGR will also be developed and made available. The drafting of the Dataset has started, but not completed yet. This will impact on democratic governance, that will be reinvigorated through the provision of the toolkit on Legitimate Crisis Governance which can be used through a series of tools, by a variety of stakeholders involved in crisis governance. Inclusive citizenship will have been strengthened through the involvement of citizens in the development and refinement of the toolkit and throughout the project to ensure that the impact of crisis governance measures on people’s life within democracies is limited and the rule of law and fundamental rights are upheld and protected.