Vaccine Politics in Western Europe

This talk examined the politics of vaccinations in Europe: how do governments ensure that their populations are vaccinated, and why do they use different approaches? Kurzer's focus was on Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. The academic literature identifies trust (general, science, medical) and administrative capacity as the most common political and policy factors influencing vaccination rate. Trust in the government plays an important role in the decisions of individuals to accept a vaccine or not. A second factor is public administration or state capacity in delivering vaccines, mapping out vaccine campaigns, deciding on access, and neutralizing the impact of anti-vaccine forces on vaccination campaigns. The literature concludes that countries with high levels of trust and high administrative capacity have high vaccination rates. By comparing the three countries, the talk presented findings that question the conventional wisdom as neither administrative capacity nor trust seem to explain variations in the first round of COVID-19 vaccinations.   

 

Paulette Kurzer's expertise is European politics. She has published widely on the European Union and her specific focus is the politics of EU consumer protection, public health, and housing. Her other research project is the comparative political economy of the small states in Western Europe. She teaches courses in comparative politics, advanced industrialized states, and European politics. She is the Director of the Online Graduate Program in International Security.   This lecture is in part funded by the DAAD with funds from the German Federal Foreign Office (AA).