Date of Award
2022
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Political Science
First Advisor
Master of Science (MS)
Abstract
Why did the United States perceive the World Health Organization as ineffective during the COVID-19 pandemic? To answer this question, this research delves into current principal-agent model literature to reproduce mechanisms present by the WHO and the United States. Current research fails to explain the WHO's effectiveness. By borrowing from realist theory and political psychology and analyzing various declarations made by the United States, this analysis found preliminary evidence that the idea of WHO's ineffectiveness was primarily shaped by the Trump Administration and American public opinion. Moreover, because of the disinformation and misinformation spread by the Trump Administration, the WHO could not exercise authority over the United States. This analysis concludes with a brief discussion of how member states and the WHO could navigate future pandemics.
Recommended Citation
Larson, Megan Patrice, "The World Health Organization, the Trump Administration, American Public Opinion, and China: A Principal-Agent Problem" (2022). Master's Theses. 4459.
https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses/4459
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2022 Megan Patrice Larson
