The failure of institutions in the pandemic crisis

Excerpt from 13 Ways of Looking at a Bureaucrat

This essay will appear in 13 Ways of Looking at a Bureaucrat, my collection of essays on politics, government and bureaucracy. The book will be published mid-year, and includes both edited and newly written essays reflecting on what I learned about life, democracy, governing and bureaucrats over a 33 year career as a very, very minor government official.

This essay was initially written in August 2020, in the early phase of the COVID crisis. By that stage, I had already departed from the governing consensus and saw the pandemic response as part of a broader set of failures in contemporary institutions. I hope you enjoy this early access read for my paid subscribers.