Professions and strategies of policy entrepreneurs in crisis management: Cross-country conceptualisations in the Nordics during the COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, crisis management responses varied geographically and temporally. The unpredictability and wicked nature of the pandemic forced governments to act in new ways, calling for central actors to take on roles as policy entrepreneurs (PEs). In smaller states, such as the Nordic states, there was an increased need to coordinate and collaborate, which was addressed and managed by PEs. This paper contributes with theoretical conceptualisations of PEs during crises, when the conventional institutional and organisational arrangements are challenged. The paper focuses on the emergence and strategies of PEs in three Nordic welfare states and argues that the crisis opened a window of opportunity for PEs within formal and informal structures. This enabled experts with different formal positions in the public administrations to become PEs. The paper extends the understanding of PEs by focusing on their professional positions and political contexts in times of crisis.