Abstract
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.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 116–142 |
| Number of pages | 27 |
| Journal | Asian Survey |
| Volume | 64 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 7 Nov 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 2024 |
| Event | Trust-Transparency and the Transnational management of Covid-19 : Launching the Jean Monnet Centre - Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Duration: 19 May 2023 → 19 May 2023 |
User-Defined Keywords
- securitization
- Hong Kong
- smart city
- political trust
- COVID-19
- pandemic
