4 ms·

Expecting local officials to deal effectively with extraordinary circumstances is unrealistic. A wealthy populous nation should be able to support a team of nat

Expecting local officials to deal effectively with extraordinary circumstances is unrealistic. A wealthy populous nation should be able to support a team of national experts to assist in times and places of particular need, in a variety of fields including that of infectious disease. The system described in TFA seems rather more like a struggle among competing cults of personality. "Your mayor sucks! Now you will be ruled by our super-mayor!" "Does he know a single thing about health?" "Who knows?! Who cares!? He has a take-charge personality!"

koheripbal 7y ago
Leadership is exactly about organizing groups of experts to fight against specific threats to the common good. The point isn't that local officials should have been working in the hospitals, it is that they should have been collecting the infectious disease experts and executing against a containment and mitigation plan.
- jessaustin 7y ago
  Are you a "West Wing" fan? The whole point of a unitary centrally-controlled state apparatus like that in China is that leadership of the type you describe does not exist. If it did exist, it would not exist locally. Local officials are to follow directions, which come from more central authorities. Sometimes they follow directions poorly, because they're more concerned with their personal well-being than that of their subjects. That's understandable, because those orders themselves came from the same motivation on their bosses' parts. Am I criticizing the form of government that the Chinese people endure? Yes! It is much like most other forms of government endured by humanity.
michaelt 7y ago
If your problem is “the division of responsibility and authority is disputed” or “collected resources aren’t being distributed due to confusion” or “key workers are distracted by CYA” a respected, competent leader might be just what they need.
- jessaustin 7y ago
  I can't imagine a situation in which a revolving cast of new bosses imposed top-down from the more fashionable parts of the nation will make anyone local less "distracted by CYA". That situation certainly doesn't exist in Wuhan right now. If China has a CDC-equivalent, they should take the lead. Hiring another ceremonial head-to-roll at the local health department would be a waste of time.

koheripbal 7y ago

Leadership is exactly about organizing groups of experts to fight against specific threats to the common good. The point isn't that local officials should have been working in the hospitals, it is that they should have been collecting the infectious disease experts and executing against a containment and mitigation plan.

jessaustin 7y ago
Are you a "West Wing" fan? The whole point of a unitary centrally-controlled state apparatus like that in China is that leadership of the type you describe does not exist. If it did exist, it would not exist locally. Local officials are to follow directions, which come from more central authorities. Sometimes they follow directions poorly, because they're more concerned with their personal well-being than that of their subjects. That's understandable, because those orders themselves came from the same motivation on their bosses' parts. Am I criticizing the form of government that the Chinese people endure? Yes! It is much like most other forms of government endured by humanity.

michaelt 7y ago

If your problem is “the division of responsibility and authority is disputed” or “collected resources aren’t being distributed due to confusion” or “key workers are distracted by CYA” a respected, competent leader might be just what they need.

jessaustin 7y ago
I can't imagine a situation in which a revolving cast of new bosses imposed top-down from the more fashionable parts of the nation will make anyone local less "distracted by CYA". That situation certainly doesn't exist in Wuhan right now. If China has a CDC-equivalent, they should take the lead. Hiring another ceremonial head-to-roll at the local health department would be a waste of time.