State–Society Synergy at COVID-19's Invisible Front Lines
Through two waves of COVID-19 pandemic, we have gathered hundreds of grassroots accounts from citizen journalists and government workers embedded in communities across rural India. The stories that emerge reveal divergent experiences and gaps in trust and communication between local residents and officials. However, they also reveal instances where local actors bridge these gaps, suggesting the potential for a powerful "synergy—marked by cooperation and coordination—between locally embedded state and societal actors." This synergy, we argue, is crucial for a robust pandemic response that reflects and meets local needs.
