What determines a country's proactiveness during a pandemic?

Abstract

What determines a country's proactiveness during a pandemic? The answer to the question lies the focus of this article. This study attempted to determine the extent to which Hofstede's national cultural dimensions are associated with a country's proactiveness. Proactiveness is about acting in advance for the desired outcome(s). The present study accounted for the country's proactiveness as the number of tests conducted per thousand people in the initial phase of the pandemic to prevent an outbreak. For this, data from 64 countries was used and found that cultural dimensions such as power distance, masculinity, and uncertainty avoidance influence a country's proactiveness in the pandemic outbreak's initial phase. Low power distance, low masculinity, and high uncertainty avoidance are related to increased proactiveness. National cultural dimensions explain approximately 66% of the variance in proactiveness. The study findings suggest that national culture influences a country's efforts during the pandemic, implying the need to consider the country's cultural orientation for the effective design and implementation of preventive measures. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.