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Abstract

As the world felt the unprecedented challenges while facing the COVID-19 pandemic, the governments of Taiwan and the United Kingdom can be seen as comparable case studies, as both nations enforced similar policies to tackle the Coronavirus to mitigate and minimise ongoing damage caused towards the general population. This analysis, conducted through secondary research, data collected from COVID-19 statistics, and information provided by the governments of Taiwan and the UK, aimed to compare and determine the stringency of the policies enforced by these governments from 2019 to 2022, taking into consideration timelines and results, digital track and trace systems, the impact of fake news on vaccination rates, as well as cultural perspectives and policy compliance. This dissertation will look to respond to the research question “How stringent have governmental responses been during the COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan and the United Kingdom?”, by firstly providing context on each state, looking at timelines and results, enforced policies, developed digital track and trace systems, and community perspectives. After demonstrating such contextual background, a comparison will be made between the topics previously mentioned, as well as the impact and source of the spread of fake news on vaccination rates in each nation. By conducting this analysis, it was possible to note that stringency was enhanced in Taiwan when compared to policies in the UK due to increased control over the population and more effective approaches towards mitigating the pandemic. Furthermore, it was possible to conclude that Taiwanese COVID-19 policies were more effective not only due to their stringency but also due to the collaboration of a collective community, whilst the UK government presented overall low stringency in its measures and a mainly individualistic population, negatively impacting the progress of the pandemic in the nation.

Course: International Relations - MA - P2929FTD

Date Deposited: 2024-01-11

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis14275.html