Mindfulness: Do (social) democracies have a leg up in tackling a pandemic? And why do women keep winning?

 The stress of a pandemic can serve as a good, not an ideal, litmus test for the integrity of a government. Ideologically governments are thought of as the equilibrium of freedom and equality, but on the ground governments are responsible for a whole lot of damage control. At a first glance it may seem that authoritarian governments would have the advantage in the matter seeing as though not only do they have the advantage of unitary decision making and cultures that are comfortable with the almighty grip of a centralized government. As the Los Angeles Times op-ed suggests,  “Democracies are slow and chaotic. Autocracies are fast and coordinated.” But maybe speed is not the name of the game.  The diverse civil societies and checks and balances in a democracy are lending themselves to greater innovation and adaptability in these challenging times. Slow and steady wins the race. Additionally the nuances of a bipartisan or multiparty system hold leadership accountable and set a certain standard of transparency which in the haze of this pandemic has been sorely lacking in authoritarian governments.  

The article also nods towards the advantages of a social democracy in contrast to a liberal democracy in handling a pandemic. The welfare states of a social democracy often lead to further developed civil societies which play an important role in solving for emergencies. Furthermore there is a norm of respect for government in social democracies which leads to people being more compliant in measures to decelerating the spread (ex. voluntary contract chasing  in Taiwan). Another common denominator of these social democracies that have  seen great success is women in executive positions. As the popular Forbes article points out the majority countries that have best handled the pandemic have benefited from the leadership traits most present in women. But empathy and honesty are not traits uniquely or over present in women, but traits that are valued in the fabric of social democracies. The fact that there are these strong women executives beating a pandemic speaks to the themes of acceptance and progressiveness that would lead to the opportunity for a woman to be elected nevertheless on the ballot. Whether it be a yoga class or a sudden pandemic mindfulness seems to be the key in overcoming obstacles. It may be no surprise, but flexibility, time, and collaboration lead to the solutions and accountability that it takes to tackle something so unprecedented.