Leadership and Power Dynamics in Crisis Management (D): Sweden

The COVID-19 crisis has revealed a great deal how national leaders cope with rapid change and make decisions with far-reaching consequences at a time of uncertainty. Not only have they struggled with the unpredictability of the pandemic but with the intricacies of intra-national and international politics. This case series examines in depth the diverging approaches taken by the leadership in five countries – China, France, Singapore, Sweden and the US – with the goal of exposing the common missteps and hurdles encountered during the months when the coronavirus crisis first emerged, challenging students (via group work) to reflect on the lessons learned.

To understand: - How political leaders and public figures make decisions in a tense, rapidly changing environment. - Contextual factors that shaped the measures taken to combat the outbreak and their outcomes in each country. - The importance of influencing/ managing public perceptions in a crisis. - Common hurdles and missteps that highlight how the leadership could have handled the outbreak differently.