Multivocal accountability in grand challenges: the Italian government’s response to COVID-19 between science and politics

PurposeThis paper investigates the multivocal nature of accountability in the context of grand challenges (GCs) by examining how diverse perspectives from science and politics combined and shaped the justifications provided by the Italian government in its response to the COVID-19 crisis.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on Latour's concepts of purification and mediation as processes to frame, separate or negotiate between science and politics, we thematically analyse the Italian government's press conference transcripts and official public documents. This analysis enables us to identify the patterns of purification and mediation through which accountability was discharged and evolved over 15 months through the pandemic challenge.FindingsOur findings reveal how processes of purification and mediation of scientific and political aspects of the COVID-19 response contributed to the construction of a multivocal form of accountability by the Italian government. The processes are found to support the continuous redefinition and repositioning of multifaceted interpretations that are necessary when responding to a highly complex challenge such as COVID-19 pandemic.Practical implicationsIn making tough decisions in the context of GCs and crises, governments must continuously strike a balance between scientific evidence and political and societal concerns. A multivocal approach to accountability is invoked to mediate among multiple considerations from scientific communities, politicians and citizens.Originality/valueThis work contributes to accountability research by adopting the concept of multivocality to characterise the adaptive and multi-dimensional nature of accountability in the context of GCs, where science and politics continuously intertwine.