Global Governance of COVID-19: Decline of Public Sphere and Transnational Democracy

Abstract

This chapter provides a sociological analysis of the dynamic relationship between epidemics and human society in general, and the socio-political effects of CoViD-19 in particular. It first describes the fragility of human civilizations since ancient times due to the disease effects of the unprecedented concentration of crops, people, and livestock together with their attendant pathogens and parasites, which led to epidemics of one kind or another. It then looks at the origin of SARS-CoV-2 in similar circumstances in a wet seafood market in China and the disruption of lives and livelihoods that it caused in almost every country on the globe. Using Habermas’s theory of public sphere and its democratic function, and Nancy Fraser’s idea of ‘transnational’ public sphere, this chapter analyses how the growing weakness of public sphere and its critical democratic function, combined with the limited freedom of speech has resulted in the loss of the best early-warning system a world threatened by epidemics can have. With example of CoViD-19 pandemic and its governance in India and China, this chapter finally discusses the shortcomings in the functioning of a truly democratic society and its (in)ability to deal with such pandemics. It recommends the formation and strengthening of a ‘global public sphere’ beyond the nation state, to not only counter such epidemic threats to human life in the future, but to also build a resilient, just and deeply democratic world community.