Reaction of the World’s Regions to the Challenges of Coronavirus Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic, which actively spread around the world in 2020, challenged public administration systems worldwide, highlighting the need to analyze the effectiveness of response measures taken at various government levels. The relevance of the study is defined by the continuing threat of new pandemics and the need to learn lessons from the experience of fighting COVID-19 to improve preparedness for future challenges. The article is devoted to the analysis of public administration systems influence on the effectiveness of measures taken in different countries to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Particular attention is paid to differences in approaches to crisis management at the national and regional levels. The study focuses on the experiences of countries with marked regional differences in socio-economic development, health care and political systems. As а part of the study, a comparative analysis of the experience of crisis management in the USA, Italy, China, Germany, France, Spain and Russia was carried out. Legislative acts, regulations, strategies and crisis management programs at the national and regional levels, as well as publications in the media and scientific articles were studied. The analysis revealed key factors influencing the choice and success of regional crisis management strategies. In conclusion, the importance of considering the entire range of factors is emphasized — from the specifics of the public administration system to regional characteristics when developing effective strategies for responding to pandemics at the regional level. Further research is needed to further understand the long-term impacts of the pandemic on public administration systems and develop recommendations to improve their resilience to future crises.