Securitization was a common practice of governments during the first phases of the COVID-19 outbreak. To successfully securitize a pandemic, a government has to convince its citizens of the magnitude of the threat. Trusted governments should be able to do this more effectively than untrusted ones. Hong Kong, our case study, is unique because the government managed to control the pandemic in a context of extremely low political trust. This paper examines the extent to which trust in the government and smart technologies influenced the securitization and management of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong. The results of this study suggest that under certain circumstances governments can successfully manage a health emergency even when they do not enjoy much political trust.
Securitizing COVID-19 in an Environment of Low Political Trust: The Case of Hong Kong
Dionysios Stivas is Assistant Professor in the Department of International Studies, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China.
Alistair Cole is Professor and Head of the Government and International Studies Department, Hong Kong Baptist University.
This research was supported by the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence (Erasmus-JMO-2022-COE-101085026) Improving Institutional Trust during Pandemics, based at Hong Kong Baptist University. It builds on data collected as part of the project Trust and the Smart City, funded by a Hong Kong Baptist University Research Committee Faculty Niche Research Area Initiation Grant (2019/20). We thank these funders for their support.
Dionysios Stivas, Alistair Cole; Securitizing COVID-19 in an Environment of Low Political Trust: The Case of Hong Kong. Asian Survey 1 February 2024; 64 (1): 116–142. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/as.2023.2081515
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University of California Press