Governors in Control: Executive Orders, State-Local Preemption, and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Area of Science:

• Political Science
• Public Health Policy
• Emergency Management

Background:

• The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic presented an unprecedented challenge, prompting swift action from state governors.
• Governors' executive orders significantly impacted local governments, raising questions about state-local authority dynamics during crises.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether governors' pandemic responses centralized state authority or empowered local governments.
• To identify factors influencing these state-level decisions regarding local government autonomy.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of all governors' executive orders impacting local governments during the first five months of the 2020 pandemic.
• Examination of the relationship between state preemption, local government autonomy, and governor characteristics.

Main Results:

• State preemption of local authority occurred, particularly in the initial stages of the pandemic.
• States granting more local autonomy experienced consistent preemption throughout the pandemic.
• Governor's party affiliation and ideological alignment with local officials influenced preemption levels, but varied across pandemic phases.

Conclusions:

• Governors' pandemic responses involved a complex interplay of state centralization and local delegation of authority.
• Factors such as pre-existing local autonomy, governor's party, and ideological alignment played a role in shaping these responses.
• Understanding these dynamics is crucial for effective crisis management and intergovernmental relations.