More than a Pandemic: The impact of the COVID-19 crisis on politics and politicians

What’s on offer?

The Covid-19 pandemic has had worldwide implications but the impact of this particular public health crisis is different to other recent crises the world has faced, as it goes beyond that of a sanitary or health crisis. The pandemic is a multifaceted and pluridimensional crisis, impacting on employment, the welfare state, immigration, economic growth, party political relations, the prevalence of polarisation and extremism, inequality and many more social, political and economic aspects of contemporary society. Key speakers from the Department of Politics at the University of Surrey will give a set of presentations that highlight how local, national and international political actors respond to various aspects of the COVID-19 crisis.

What’s it about?

The event will focus on topics such as; how policy responses to the pandemic developed in the UK compared with the rest of the world, how populist actors in the UK and Europe responded, how a pandemic affects government approval ratings and the challenges local policymakers faced, particularly in Surrey. In addition, we will be sharing our findings regarding populist responses to the pandemic such as how it has affected Boris Johnson's approval ratings. This latter exercise, through the use of an interactive online tool, will stimulate younger audiences, showing that 'playing with data' can be fun and politically relevant. Those joining this event will leave with a number of key take-away messages and an understanding of how political science research is socially and societally relevant. We will emphasise that even in times of crises not directly related to politics, the social and political implications are widespread and important to examine.

Who’s leading the event?

Professor Amelia Hadfield, University of Surrey.

Dr Steven van Hauwaert, University of Surrey.

Dr Theofanis Exadaktylos, University of Surrey.

Professor Tim Bale, Queen Mary University of London.

Professor Ryan Carlin, Georgia State University.

Open to

Anyone

Of particular interest to

General public, young people, anyone with an interest in COVID 19, politics and international relations, policy making, government data analysis, populism and Surrey's pandemic recovery. Policy Makers, Media, Think Tanks, National Pundits.