Expressions of governance, risk, and responsibility: Public campaigns in the crisis and risk management of Covid-19 in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

Pernille Almlund, Jens E. Kjeldsen, Ragnhild Mølster

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingBook chapterResearchpeer-review

Abstract

During the Covid-19 pandemic, public campaigns were an important part of the Scandinavian health authorities’ strategies to combat the spread of the virus. Denmark, Norway, and Sweden had different strategies to manage the crisis: Denmark had the most political crisis management, Sweden the most informational, and Norway was placed somewhere in between. This chapter examines how public risk and crisis communication during a pandemic was handled in these campaigns in the Scandinavian countries, how they function as a governance technology, and how this was carried out rhetorically. We show how indirect, governmental steering dominated the campaign rhetoric in Scandinavia, through a focus on the culturally decided aspects of purity and danger, and through appeal to a sense of personal responsibility and willingness to avoid taking risks among the citizenry. Furthermore, we find that the campaigns are representative for the crisis management strategy in each country.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication Communicating a Pandemic : Crisis Management and Covid-19 in the Nordic Countries
EditorsBengt Johansson, Øyvind Ihlen, Jenny Lindholm, Mark Blach-Ørsten
Number of pages47
PublisherNordicom
Publication date8 Jan 2023
Pages121-147
Chapter6
ISBN (Print)978-91-88855-67-1
ISBN (Electronic)978-91-88855-68-8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 8 Jan 2023

Keywords

  • public campaigns
  • governmentality
  • risk management
  • Covid-19
  • rhetoric of solidarity

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