Performing Authority in Times of Crisis

Six Frames of Contested Authority During the Pandemic Era in Finland

Bibliographic Data

ID11005992
AuthorsJohanna Vuorelma (0000-0003-1291-6430, Centre for European Studies University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland), Pinja Lehtonen (0000-0003-1173-1813, Faculty of Social Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland)
Year2025
Volume48
Issue2
Publication date2025-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScandinavian Political Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0080-6757 • E-ISSN: 1467-9477
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/1467-9477.70004
OpenAlexW4408373692
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited60

The question of how authority is performed and gained is one of the classical puzzles in the study of politics. It is a particular salient question during crises when there are various types of societal reactions to the crisis. In this article, we study how public performances by pandemic authorities were evaluated during the intensive pandemic years 2020–2022 in Finland. We examine how unsuccessful pandemic authority was framed, focusing on instances where political or institutional authority was deemed unsuccessful or illegitimate. We organised focus group interviews with occupational groups that were heavily affected by pandemic restrictions—(1) health care, (2) teaching, (3) hospitality and (4) performing arts—and used stimulus material that consisted of six prominent cases of authority performances during the pandemic. Through frame analysis, we isolated six frames of contested authority during the pandemic: (1) regional alienation, (2) failed communication, (3) moral character, (4) incompetence, (5) ivory tower and (6) hostile media. The article demonstrates how these frames include elements of pragmatic, moral, and cognitive legitimacy

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Pandemic · Political science · Media Studies and Communication · Medicine · Public Administration · Public Relations and Crisis Communication · Rhetoric and Communication Studies

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