Societal Trust, Transparency and Accountability in Fiscal Policy During National Emergencies: A Reflection on the Unfolding Global Corona Virus Pandemic in Africa

Abstract

Abstract Financing health care is growing in importance as more and more researchers, governments and other stakeholders see that public health goods and services need to be financed. This work is intended to understand what the underlying problems maybe in getting people to understand the magnitude of national and global emergencies in health and how to get them to obey state and global directives which are for their own safety from a fiscal perspective. Here we show that there is a breakdown in communication between states and their societies that is undermining the ability of African states to guide their people to follow health and safety rules. The findings provide a recommendation that an improvement in transparency and accountability will not only result in better management of emergencies but also build better long term fiscal legitimacy and management of the current and future emergencies and enhance societal trust.