Esteban Szmulewicz on governing decentralised States under emergency situations in Italy and the Netherlands
Esteban Szmulewic , PhD candidate at the Constitutional and Administrative Law Department has written a paper on the comparison between Italy and the Netherlands, covering the first part of the pandemic (2020 and early 2021). The article has been published in the prestigious 'Journal Diritto Publico Comparato ed Europeo'.
The paper analyses the vertical functioning of the State as a significant variable for understanding the Covid-19 crisis in Italy and the Netherlands. The two countries share common elements of legal culture and public law institutions, yet their responses to the pandemic have been different. The dynamics between central and subnational authorities are complex. Therefore, this calls for further assessment of the conditions that facilitate multilevel coordination and/or cooperation, without undermining local and regional autonomy.