Special Guest Introduction: Lessons for Public Policy from the COVID-19 Pandemic

In the early 2020s, as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, governments, bureaucracies, and health practitioners around the globe faced unforeseen tasks and responsibilities. The novelty and intensity of the crisis spurred innovation and experimentation in public policy, health policy, and crisis management. However, the pandemic also revealed bottlenecks and adverse incentives in policy framework and healthcare systems. From this experience, critical lessons emerged: The paramount importance of swift and well-informed policy responses and the ability to optimise policy responses as the crisis unfolds. Authors in this volume address the hurdles to achieving this ideal, through the study of pandemic crisis management.