In a virtual lecture hosted by IIMB, India-Germany relations expert from Leibniz university lists and describes the key factors for the country’s relatively successful response to the coronavirus
12 August, 2020, Bengaluru: “I am not here to compare the situation between India and Germany. One size does not fit all,” said Dr. Balasubramanian Ramani, Advisor and Regional Coordinator of India Relations, Leibniz University, Hannover, adding that he was going to share his experience of watching Germany set strategy for the European Union during the pandemic.
His special talk titled, ‘Role of Leadership and Science Diplomacy during COVID-19: A German Example’ was organized by IIM Bangalore’s one-year fulltime Master of Management Studies (Public Policy) – the Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy & Management (PGPPM), on August 12 (Wednesday), 2020, from 04.00 pm to 05.30 pm, as part of PGPPM’s event ‘Policy Speaks’, a Public Policy talk series.
“The political leadership in Germany took ownership and practised inclusion in all its decisions in handling the pandemic,” he said, observing that the German government took the early warnings, in January in the media, seriously. “There was no panic, certainly, but there was awareness. The political leadership, even in those early days before COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by WHO, involved the institute of virology in Berlin and the scientists who worked on vaccines as expert advisors. I want to emphasize the planning and coordination that went into the central decision-making. This shows important leadership skills.”
He pointed out how the counties and villages were empowered to take action and construct/ equip hospitals. “Some may call it a risky strategy for a situation unknown but it showed results – Germany has one of the lowest mortality rates and infection numbers for COVID-19. The preparedness of the system achieved this.”
Elaborating on how Germany focused on safeguarding its elderly population, he said by June, 60,000 beds with ventilators and hi-end technology for senior citizens were available across the country. “Scientists and researchers took control, assisted by the political establishment. It wasn’t the other way round. The data shared was transparent and brutally honest. This gave the citizens confidence and trust in the hospital system.”
Explaining that supermarkets and grocery shops never had distress, Bala reported that it was one of the advantages of the European Union – network of road transport and supply chains kept shelves stocked. “Bureaucracy took a backseat during the crisis. Being the engine of the European Union, Germany took charge to ensure that industry did not suffer.”
Companies in Germany do not fire workers, even in times of distress, as the government takes on the burden of wage payment, he explained. “This is central for trade unions and people. There was no political conflict when money was pumped into this initiative. Policy and law was passed in Parliament that housing rents would be waived for the next 6-7 months. Special interest-free loans and allowances of 200-300 euros were extended to students as the government was aware that they had lost their part-time jobs during the lockdown.”
Humane initiatives go a long way, Bala observed, in establishing trust and confidence in the population. Admitting that things were always not perfect, he pointed out how there have been public protests against mask-wearing but remarked that a democracy allows for all voices. “Without self-discipline any initiative of the leadership wouldn’t have enjoyed success. The overwhelming majority of the population adhered to the rule of law – practising social distancing and patience.”
Bala argued that the German leadership understood that had it sustainably funded research, responses would have been better. “Now, the government is mulling 10-year funding even for social science research along with assured funding for medical research.”
His talk was attended by students of the Public Policy and Management programme, the one-year Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management, the PhD programme and the two-year MBA at IIM Bangalore, who had a 30-minute Q&A session with him.
About the speaker:
Dr. Balasubramanian Ramani plays a significant role in strengthening the ties between India and Germany in the field of science and technology. He has been appointed as one of the Directors at the Centre for Modern Indian Studies (CeMIS-UC) and the German Research Centre for Comparative Vocational Education and Training in the University of Cologne. His primary objective in this role is to establish research on vocational education and training in India. He has also served as the Member of the Board in the World Association of Young Scientists, Paris, France from 2005-2009.
Dr. Ramani is also an elected member of the Committee of International Affairs Europe and International Integration for the entire City of Hannover since November 2017. In this role, he is involved in making Hannover an international city in terms of culture and education as well as promoting Hannover as a destination for international students.
In a virtual lecture hosted by IIMB, India-Germany relations expert from Leibniz university lists and describes the key factors for the country’s relatively successful response to the coronavirus
12 August, 2020, Bengaluru: “I am not here to compare the situation between India and Germany. One size does not fit all,” said Dr. Balasubramanian Ramani, Advisor and Regional Coordinator of India Relations, Leibniz University, Hannover, adding that he was going to share his experience of watching Germany set strategy for the European Union during the pandemic.
His special talk titled, ‘Role of Leadership and Science Diplomacy during COVID-19: A German Example’ was organized by IIM Bangalore’s one-year fulltime Master of Management Studies (Public Policy) – the Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy & Management (PGPPM), on August 12 (Wednesday), 2020, from 04.00 pm to 05.30 pm, as part of PGPPM’s event ‘Policy Speaks’, a Public Policy talk series.
“The political leadership in Germany took ownership and practised inclusion in all its decisions in handling the pandemic,” he said, observing that the German government took the early warnings, in January in the media, seriously. “There was no panic, certainly, but there was awareness. The political leadership, even in those early days before COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by WHO, involved the institute of virology in Berlin and the scientists who worked on vaccines as expert advisors. I want to emphasize the planning and coordination that went into the central decision-making. This shows important leadership skills.”
He pointed out how the counties and villages were empowered to take action and construct/ equip hospitals. “Some may call it a risky strategy for a situation unknown but it showed results – Germany has one of the lowest mortality rates and infection numbers for COVID-19. The preparedness of the system achieved this.”
Elaborating on how Germany focused on safeguarding its elderly population, he said by June, 60,000 beds with ventilators and hi-end technology for senior citizens were available across the country. “Scientists and researchers took control, assisted by the political establishment. It wasn’t the other way round. The data shared was transparent and brutally honest. This gave the citizens confidence and trust in the hospital system.”
Explaining that supermarkets and grocery shops never had distress, Bala reported that it was one of the advantages of the European Union – network of road transport and supply chains kept shelves stocked. “Bureaucracy took a backseat during the crisis. Being the engine of the European Union, Germany took charge to ensure that industry did not suffer.”
Companies in Germany do not fire workers, even in times of distress, as the government takes on the burden of wage payment, he explained. “This is central for trade unions and people. There was no political conflict when money was pumped into this initiative. Policy and law was passed in Parliament that housing rents would be waived for the next 6-7 months. Special interest-free loans and allowances of 200-300 euros were extended to students as the government was aware that they had lost their part-time jobs during the lockdown.”
Humane initiatives go a long way, Bala observed, in establishing trust and confidence in the population. Admitting that things were always not perfect, he pointed out how there have been public protests against mask-wearing but remarked that a democracy allows for all voices. “Without self-discipline any initiative of the leadership wouldn’t have enjoyed success. The overwhelming majority of the population adhered to the rule of law – practising social distancing and patience.”
Bala argued that the German leadership understood that had it sustainably funded research, responses would have been better. “Now, the government is mulling 10-year funding even for social science research along with assured funding for medical research.”
His talk was attended by students of the Public Policy and Management programme, the one-year Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management, the PhD programme and the two-year MBA at IIM Bangalore, who had a 30-minute Q&A session with him.
About the speaker:
Dr. Balasubramanian Ramani plays a significant role in strengthening the ties between India and Germany in the field of science and technology. He has been appointed as one of the Directors at the Centre for Modern Indian Studies (CeMIS-UC) and the German Research Centre for Comparative Vocational Education and Training in the University of Cologne. His primary objective in this role is to establish research on vocational education and training in India. He has also served as the Member of the Board in the World Association of Young Scientists, Paris, France from 2005-2009.
Dr. Ramani is also an elected member of the Committee of International Affairs Europe and International Integration for the entire City of Hannover since November 2017. In this role, he is involved in making Hannover an international city in terms of culture and education as well as promoting Hannover as a destination for international students.