The COVID-19 pandemic challenged us to rethink how contemporary states navigate crises. Despite the extraordinary transformations of 2020–22, existing inequalities and power imbalances proved remarkably resilient. This volume argues that post-neoliberal states and governing classes were unequal to the historical moment, learning little about how to adapt to wider political, socio-economic, and ecological challenges. Bringing together critical perspectives, the book highlights how decision-making, leadership, and policy responses were inseparable from political power structures and societal contexts. The volume shows how crisis governance is actively contested, resisted, and shaped by social groups - and how social cleavages are either deepened or challenged in times of crisis.