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Paper short abstract

This paper asks how solution-oriented and democratic crisis governance can be effective. Through the lens of vigilance, it analyzes how the interaction between traditional local governance structures and vigilance enabled the activation of community resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Paper long abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic served as a stress test for the crisis management capacities of governments worldwide. Japan’s response was remarkable in several respects. Instead of enforcing legally binding measures, the government appealed to the principle of voluntary self-restraint (jishuku). Despite its aging population, which is particularly vulnerable to the virus, Japan recorded a lower excess mortality rate than most OECD countries. This was achieved while maintaining public life, without encroaching on individual freedoms, and without large-scale protests. One line of explanation attributes this success primarily to Japanese culture. A second perspective emphasizes the importance of social capital, social networks, and social infrastructure as key determinants of community resilience. A third approach focuses on the tight-knit networks of local governance, which are essential for maintaining community functions.

This paper asks how solution-oriented and democratic crisis governance can be effective. Through the lens of vigilance, it brings together the three existing research approaches and analyzes how the interaction between traditional local governance structures and their institutionalized forms of vigilance enabled the activation of community resilience. Drawing on extensive fieldwork in a rural town in Oita Prefecture, using an explorative-interpretative research design that draws on a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, the paper investigates how the formal and informal layers of community governance may have increased community resilience, without leading to a significant populist backlash, as seen in other democracies. This paper contributes to the ongoing debate on how democracies can govern societal transformations by emphasizing the importance of local governance structures for their success.