Behavioral Implementation and Compliance of Anti-Epidemic Policy in the COVID-19 Crisis.

Chengzhe Fu,Liao Liao,Weijun Huang

doi:10.3390/ijerph18073776

Abstract

Different countries have introduced different urgent policies to control the spread of the novel coronavirus. The compliance behavior of these anti-epidemic policies has always been an important concern to governments, and its effects need to be tested. In recent years, many scholars have paid attention to the mechanism and intervention of policy compliance behavior, which helps to explain the mechanism of anti-epidemic compliance behavior, and to improve the effectiveness of anti-epidemic policy. Therefore, considering the characters of youth groups in the context of the novel coronavirus, this study takes campus anti-epidemic compliance behavior as the research topic, based on 680 effective samples of college students in China, in order to examine the effectiveness of these policies using an investigation experiment. This study revealed that the ‘Nudge’ policy instrument was the most effective way to guide individuals’ behavior during the coronavirus outbreak, the ‘Sermon’ instrument was the least recognized, and the ‘Whip’ instrument (a traditional and classical policy instrument) had its normal effect on individuals’ behavior. Additionally, it found that high accessibility in policy implementation results in more significant policy behavior. By taking the effects of different policy behaviors into consideration, governments may produce better and more effective policy implementation and compliance during the anti-epidemic period.

Highlights

Since the novel coronavirus outbreak, different countries have enacted different urgent policies to control its spread
Policy effectiveness is influenced by two interactive aspects: policy implementation and policy compliance
Most existing research focused on policy implementation, paying little attention to the aspect of policy compliance, and staying in dichotomy [6,7]

Summary

Introduction

Since the novel coronavirus outbreak, different countries have enacted different urgent policies to control its spread. Our research will mainly focus on Chinese public universities’ policies during the coronavirus outbreak, as we consider the university environment to be quite close to that of the larger society, with people having different social backgrounds and following societal rules governing power and resources. The integrated model of implementation focuses on the dynamics among the different levels of governments, such as policy networks and public dialogue, and other factors that influence policy implementation [9]. Exploring related policy implementation and compliance processes and identifying the main influencing factors will provide new perspectives for scholars, and suggestions to policy makers in their considerations of coronavirus policy implementation and compliance. We should examine the effectiveness of the policies implemented during the coronavirus spread period through the lens of behavioral public policy theory. As existing policies often have different target groups, and because policy implementation varies from one society to another, we must ask what kinds of policy instruments will yield better policy implementation in a global pandemic: the whip instrument, the sermon instrument, or the nudge instrument? Will the degree of policy compliance influence the policy effectiveness?

Research Design

Analysis of the Data

Analysis of the Effects of Policy Behavior

Part One: Basic information

Findings

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