Power and the pandemic: how contrasting COVID-19 responses in the United Kingdom, China and Vietnam reveal alternatives to neoliberal biopolitics
Abstract
This paper documents and examines the efforts of the UK government to manage COVID-19. Arguing that these efforts were influenced by commitments to neoliberal biopolitics and governmental strategies of control, it draws from a range of sources to contrast the UK response with alternative aspirations and applications of power in Vietnam and China. Findings highlight the social and political nature of the pandemic, illustrating how different values and strategies generated distinct policies and experiences. This contrast reveals the development and efficacy of new forms of control, alongside alternatives to neoliberal biopolitics that seek to protect and produce life in new ways.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Biomedical Ethics and Regulation
Foucault
Power
and Ethics
Medical
Sociocultural
and Biopolitical Studies
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Political Power
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 276–295
- Publication date
- 31 January 2026
- Language
- EN