LEGITIMULT: Legitimate Crisis Management and Multilevel Governance
The LEGITIMULT project assesses the impact of measures taken by various international, national, and subnational governments and bodies on institutions at multiple levels and intergovernmental relations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The project aims to answer the research question: What conditions, circumstances, policies, measures, and activities can contribute to democratic and legitimate conflict management and governance? In this context, the project analyzes the impact of these measures on democratic governance and highlights the extent to which multilevel governance influences their impact on democracy, giving priority to the model of legitimate crisis management. It assesses the measures taken by 31 European countries in terms of their impact on multi-level governance by creating a new dataset that highlights how these processes are linked to multiple levels of governance—the WHO and EU above countries, and regional and local authorities below the national level. The impact of these measures is analyzed through the lens of various dimensions characteristic of functional democratic governance (rule of law and democratic participation; human and minority rights; trust; economic sustainability). LEGITIMULT identifies the various trade-offs that are necessary within and between these dimensions in order to respond effectively and quickly to a crisis such as Covid-19, while maintaining the level of democratic governance and ensuring that any restrictions on democratic standards are limited. These final compromises within and between the different dimensions of democratic governance in crisis management are compiled in a set of policy recommendations tailored to different recipients and developed through extensive consultation with stakeholder groups during the project. Citizens, policymakers, and practitioners are involved in the experimental phase of the project, where interactive learning and practical tools are tested, codified, and refined with relevant stakeholders in a participatory manner. Policy recommendations and practical tools are combined into a toolkit for lawful crisis management, ready for use in potential future crises.