An examination of crisis management process on a country-based level during the COVID-19 pandemic

The Covid-19 virus emerged in December 2019 in China and quickly spread worldwide. It was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. Unlike many other epidemic diseases that emerged in the 20th century, Covid-19 not only affected less developed countries but also developed and developing countries. The initial steps taken by top leaders and the speed at which they acted in response to the crisis led to differences in the management of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis at the country level. While the virus each country dealt with was the same, the reasons for the emergence of different management styles and responses between countries were investigated to determine the effectiveness of crisis management. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the economies of countries to varying degrees. Measures such as lockdowns, the closure of businesses, slowdowns, and even halts in production, restrictions on national and international travel, a decline in tourism activities, and increased spending on healthcare systems have had a negative impact on national economies. Even countries considered to have the world's strongest economies were found to be inadequate in managing the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In this study, the measures taken by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Turkey during the Covid-19 pandemic and whether these measures were effective were evaluated using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method. The findings were used to determine the success of countries in the crisis management process.