Confronting Covid-19: Brazil in a comparative perspective

The epidemic for the new coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused loss of life and illnesses for thousands of people, as health services and systems around the world have been tested. How have governments responded to the new coronavirus epidemic? What is the response time between the first cases and the actions to face the epidemic? Perhaps more importantly: how and why were these measures adopted? And what can be done to prevent a similar disaster in the future? In collaboration with the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan, our team integrates a study that seeks to identify the explanatory variables on the responses of different countries to COVID-19. This Fapesp financing will enable field research in Brazil in three ways: (i) to explore the response of the health system and policy throughout the development of the epidemic; (ii) investigate the social protection initiatives that have been adopted in order to make public health actions viable; (iii) analyze, compared perspective, how and why these decisions were adopted and propose recommendations. Qualitative methodology combined with analysis of epidemiological data will be used to explore the extent to which the following elements contribute (or not) to understanding the country's decisions: history of coping with public health emergencies; state capacity and crisis management in public health; coordination and initiatives by political parties. Our study will be one of the first initiatives and set of Brazilian publications to explore in depth, explanatory elements, guided by a comparative effort and international cooperation in the area. In addition, our publications will inform future studies on COVID-19 and help define the debates about what this epidemic means for the disciplines of comparative public policy and health policy management.