Coronavirus (COVID-19) is one of the defining policy challenges of an era. In this article we sketch
some possible ways in which the public policy and administration (PPA) scholarly community can make
an enduring contribution about how to cope with this terrible crisis. We do so by offering some
elements that to delineate a tentative ...
Coronavirus (COVID-19) is one of the defining policy challenges of an era. In this article we sketch
some possible ways in which the public policy and administration (PPA) scholarly community can make
an enduring contribution about how to cope with this terrible crisis. We do so by offering some
elements that to delineate a tentative research agenda for PPA scholars, to be pursued with epistemic
humility. We outline the contours of seven analytical themes that are central to the challenges
presented by COVID-19: policy design and instruments; policy learning; public service and its publics;
organisational capacity; public governance; administrative traditions; and public sector reforms in
multi-level governance (MLG). The list is neither exhaustive nor exclusive to COVID-19 only. The
knowledge the PPA scholarly community can generate must speak not only to the daunting challenge
of COVID-19 itself but also to policymakers, and indeed humankind, trying to cope with future
unexpected but high impact threats (‘black swans’), by leveraging better public policies and building
administrative capacities to enable more resilient, equitable and effective public services.