Subnational State and Crisis Response

How did India’s states confront the challenge of COVID‑19? And what insights does this experience offer for future crisis response?

This book explores the varied impacts of the pandemic and the policy responses undertaken across India’s states and union territories, bringing together nationwide quantitative analysis with five in‑depth case studies of Bihar, Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Moving beyond the numbers, the case studies examine how differences in state capacity, legitimacy, and authority shaped policy responses and pandemic outcomes. Focusing on the first two waves of the pandemic, the volume shows how this early period provides a valuable snapshot of state functioning under crisis conditions—marked by profound uncertainty and limited information.

This volume offers new insight into one of the most consequential global crises of our time. It is important reading for students and scholars of public policy, political science, economics, and South Asian studies. It will also engage policymakers, journalists, and anyone seeking a deeper understanding the factors that influence how states respond when it matters most.

Rachel M. Gisselquist is Professor in Governance and Development, and Director, Governance and Social Development Resource Centre (GSDRC), University of Birmingham, UK.

Anustup Kundu is an Associate Researcher at UNU-WIDER and a Visiting Researcher at the University of Helsinki.

Kunal Sen is Director of UNU-WIDER and Professor of Development Economics in the Global Development Institute, University of Manchester.