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number 4, 2020
Overview
The COVID-19 pandemic is not
Hammer or nudge? Science-
only confronting the world with a
new and deadly virus – it has also
brought ‘science’ back into the lead of
based policy advice in the
policymaking. One can only welcome
this dramatic recognition of the value
and role of science to society amid the
COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19 public health challenge.
T
However, the science-based policy he COVID-19 pandemic is not only confronting the world with a new
advice for measures to combat COVID-
and deadly virus – it has also brought ‘science’ back into the lead of
19 has also some worrying features.
Three are being discussed here. They policymaking. The global science community is busier than ever and open
have led to a strong national bias in science is becoming the norm as researchers routinely share their data.
both science-based policy advice and Meanwhile, the vaccine research community, both in public and private
in the national policies implemented research labs, is working together day and night in developing, experiment-
to combat COVID-19. Alternative ing and testing possible new vaccines. One can only welcome this dramatic
approaches are discussed focusing in
recognition of the value and role of science to society amid the COVID-19
particular on the European Union.
public health challenge. As if scientists wake up in a new world of facts and
evidence-based policy.
1
Written by Luc Soete . Edited by However, the science-based policy advice for measures to combat
Howard Hudson, UNU-MERIT COVID-19 has also some worrying features. First, a certain degree of arro-
gance of disciplinary knowledge with the rejection of any debate coming
© United Nations University 2020
from researchers outside of the virology and epidemiological professions.
ISBN 978-92-808-5015-4
Second, the imposition of confinement restrictions independently of other
Licensed under the Creative Commons behavioural or social sciences insights on the broader impact of such unique
Deed ‘Attribution-NonCommercial- societal experimentation. And third, the way current science-based policy
NoDerivs 2.5’ advice combatting COVID-19 appears imprisoned in national data, leading
to a strong national bias in policymaking.
The views expressed in this publication
are those of the authors and do not
necessarily reflect the views of United It leads us to present some alternative, more speculative views on the
Nations University. regional impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. These views are presented as
illustrations of the need to remain in science-based policy advice, even when
confronted with a dramatic pandemic such as COVID-19, open to alterna-
tive views. They start from the wide disparity in COVID-19 contamina-
tion, hospitalisation and fatalities. To what extent can the study of the local
environments which became breeding grounds not just of COVID-19 con-
tamination but also of COVID-19 illness and mortality, provide additional
insights. And in the same vein, to what extent are regions confronted with
www.unu.edu
the differential impact of COVID- That variable will also be very differ-
19 not in a better position to design ent over time. Thus, historical com-
appropriate exit policies. parisons with previous pandemics
such as the ‘Spanish Flu’ in the early
Crush the virus? 20th century, apart from the major
differences in the characteristics of
Viruses know no borders the infection with the Spanish Flu
and in our globalised world, the – affecting more young people and
undetected virus in pre- or asymp- having a shorter incubation period
tomatic carriers – individuals not – ignore the very different social
exhibiting any symptoms of the dis- and economic environments within
ease (yet) – appears to have led to an which individuals interacted 100
unusually fast ‘super-propagation’ of years ago.
COVID-19 across the world. Hence
the calls for a radical ‘hammer The theoretical effectiveness
approach’2 in the policy response of lockdown in these SIR models
to the COVID-19 outbreak. combined with the limited medi-
Such a policy response is based cal, and in particular intensive care
on the well-known, so-called SIR facilities in most countries, even
(Susceptible-Infectious-Removed) the most developed ones, has led
model3. Susceptible population one naturally to focus on immedi-
runs into infected population and ate policies to reduce the degree of
gets infected at a rate β which is contact within a population leading
the contact rate leading exponen- ultimately to various forms of con-
tially to new infections minus the finement. And based on the histori-
rate γ of the infected population cal evidence from the Spanish Flu
recovering or passing away. Policy pandemic5 in the USA, highlighting
will be focused on reducing the so- the fact that states with the tightest
called basic reproduction number restrictions fared best economically
(R0=β/γ) indicating how many subsequently, strict confinement
new cases one infected person gen- appears the best policy to imple-
erates. Quite naturally, lockdown ment. Hence the standard policy
will be considered the most effective view proposed and endorsed by the
way of reducing this reproduction World Health Organization on the
number because doing so reduces need for testing and the fast imposi-
both the number of susceptible and tion of strict confinement policies.
About the Author
infected populations. However, and
Luc Soete (born 15 September as pointed out by Daron Acemoglu4, ‘The hammer’ is there-
1950, Sint-Jans-Molenbeek) is the fore the preferred policy approach
there is a lot of uncertainty about
former director of UNU-MERIT,
the parameters used in these epide- for virologists and epidemiolo-
former Rector Magnificus of
Maastricht University, and miological SIR models. Ultimately, gists. Through extreme measures
now Dean of the Institute for the contact rate β is an economic like social distancing, confinement,
European Studies and Vesalius and social variable which will reflect lockdown and travel restrictions,
College, VUB (Free University very different types of interactions the ‘hammer’ crushes the spread of
of Brussels). Correspondence to: the virus and brings the R0 value
between parts of the population
l.soete@maastrichtuniversity.nl
with as a result different infection, quickly well below 1. From this per-
hospitalisation and fatality rates. spective, all measures contributing
2 Policy Brief
www.merit.unu.edu
4 Policy Brief
www.merit.unu.edu
other words, while COVID-19 substantially between countries but
spread in particular locations in also between regions.
Europe because of random social
6 Policy Brief
www.merit.unu.edu
Conclusions effective European way, exploiting
now also more fully the notion of
Healthwise, a regional ‘subsidiarity’ in addressing COVID-
COVID-19 policy focus will natu- 19. Doing so, it would bring back
rally focus on the most vulnerable, the notion of solidarity between
susceptible parts of the local popu- regions, as opposed to the current
lation in combatting the pandemic; lack of solidarity between individual
the opposite as it were of the smart European Member States.
specialisation development strate- Solidarity between regions in the
gies typically pursued in European EU as actually encapsulated in the Footnotes
regions, namely weak regional vul- European Treaties and reflected in 12) Andrée, B.P.J. (2020), Incidence of
nerabilities specialisation. the particular attention given to the COVID-19 and Connections with Air
Implementing regional confinement so-called cohesion funds in Pollution Exposure Evidence from the
or quarantine raises of course com- European integration would possi- Netherlands, Policy Research Working Paper
plex implementation and mainte- bly be the best response to rebuild 9221, April.
nance issues. How to prevent people European values at this time of 13) A recent paper by Martelletti, L and
from being mobile between a con- COVID -19 crisis, contributing not Martelletti, P., Air Pollution and the Novel
fined region and other regions just to economic convergence across Covid-19 Disease: a Putative Disease Risk
Factor, SN Compr. Clin. Med, https://doi.
within a country?14 For sure, it is Europe but also to health and social
org/10.1007/s42399-020-00274-4 claims
easier to close a national border convergence. that the “SARS virus and other respiratory
than to confine a particular region, diseases such as COPD (chronic obstructive
as Italy witnessed when it attempted pulmonary disease) find fertile ‘territory’ in air
to do so in the early stages of the pollutant particles and, in a linear relationship,
COVID-19 outbreak. But lessons they survive longer and become more aggressive
in an immune system already aggravated by
could be learned. Ultimately, it
these harmful substances.” In another recent
raises similar practical problems of study of Yaron Ogen, Assessing nitrogen
immediate, sudden closure and dioxide (NO2) levels as a contributing factor to
restricting the mobility of individu- coronavirus (COVID-19), Science of the Total
als to what are considered essential Environment 726 (2020) 138605 https://doi.
activities. The main point is that org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138605, a
regional spatial analysis has been conducted
putting a region into quarantine is
for 66 administrative regions in Italy, Spain,
likely to have a more limited impact France and Germany. Results show that the
on the overall economy than concentration of COVID-19 fatality cases
national confinement policies. It was in five regions with the highest NO2
will also enable one to introduce concentrations combined with downwards
deconfinement policies more gradu- airflow preventing an efficient dispersion of
air pollution. As the paper highlights: “These
ally, taking into account regional
results indicate that the long-term exposure to
differences in contamination levels. this pollutant may be one of the most important
Here too more targeted responses in contributors to fatality caused by the COVID-
the exit strategy in line with the 19 virus in these regions and maybe across the
geographical characteristics will be whole world.”
more effective. 14) Of course it can be argued that many
European countries have had experience
And from a European per- in cross-border regions with such regional
spective, such regional approach confinement policies having closed their
borders.
would open up the policy window of
addressing COVID-19 in a more
INSIDE:
Policy Brief
The United Nations University – Maastricht Economic and Social
Hammer or nudge?
Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT) is
a research and training institute of United Nations University based
Science-based
in Maastricht in the south of the Netherlands. The institute, which
collaborates closely with Maastricht University, carries out research and
policy advice in the
training on a range of social, political and economic factors that drive COVID-19 pandemic
economic development in a global perspective. Overall the institute
functions as a unique research centre and graduate school for around Some 25 years after
100 PhD fellows and 140 Master’s students. It is also a UN think tank
addressing a broad range of policy questions on science, innovation
the Schengen Accord,
and democratic governance. COVID-19 has
undermined the notion of
European values in favour
of primarily national
expert advice and values:
a first collateral damage of
COVID-19 in Europe.
The Netherlands
6211 AX Maastricht
Boschstraat 24
Innovation and Technology
social Research institute on
Maastricht Economic and
Uniter Nations University -