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THREAD: There’s been a lot praise for @jacindaardern lately without much context. Here's my attempt to look at how New Zealand's history and her own hard work led her to a very particular coronavirus response 1/ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/23/world/asia/jacinda-ardern-coronavirus-new-zealand.html
What’s worth thinking about with Ardern is the political culture that produced her. NZ overhauled how voting works not long ago (in the 90s). Every gov’t since has been a coalition, pushing policy away from extremes and toward moderation 2/ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/23/world/asia/jacinda-ardern-coronavirus-new-zealand.html
With a unicameral legislature and decisions made by a cabinet, some experts have said NZ has the best-designed government in the world. Which is what a crisis like a pandemic really needs: smart systems for coordinated decision-making and communication 3/ https://www.vox.com/2014/9/23/6831777/new-zealand-electoral-system-constitution-mixed-member-unicameral
Ardern is also the product of particular needs. In 2017, NZ had the highest youth suicide rate in the developed world. She came of age as NZ was trying to recover from free-market reforms, with struggle and pain that craved her politics of kindness 4/ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/23/world/asia/jacinda-ardern-coronavirus-new-zealand.html
New Zealand's coronavirus response has not been perfect. Ardern’s communication talents masked deep troubles with the health system and critics who note that Australia also crushed the virus with a looser lockdown that kept more people working 5/ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/24/world/australia/new-zealand-coronavirus.html
But for the coronavirus frustrated, NZ teaches that leaders are not all that matters. Healthy democracies produce better leaders and broken democracies can change how they work, for the better. New Zealand is Exhibit A. @jacindaardern is Exhibit B. 6/END https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/23/world/asia/jacinda-ardern-coronavirus-new-zealand.html
