Robert Kagan wrote [_The Return of History_](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2611798-the-return-of-history-and-the-end-of-dreams) a decade ago arguing that the 21st Century would be an ideological fight between efficient autocracies and inefficient democracies. Even if we do accept that authoritarianism works better in a crisis (there are lots of environmental activists who argue only an eco-dictatorship can save the planet), the problem with dictatorships is they tend to last longer than the 'crisis'. They're tough to switch out...

TL;DR: The crisis management skill of dictatorships depends heavily on the type of crisis. To start with, research has discovered [little correlation between the degree of democracy and the success of Covid-19 responses](https://carnegieendowment.org/2020/03/31/do-authoritarian-or-democratic-countries-handle-pandemics-better-pub-81404). The examples of Singapore and Vietnam may very well come down to the fresh memories of the SARS crisis. Additionally, the pandemic is not yet over and the jury is very much out. Some countries, such as the UK and US, performed poorly in lockdown measures but did well with vaccine rollouts. Beyond the current pandemic, the crisis management skills of dictatorships depend highly on the definition of crises. Dictatorships can often act fast to an emerging external event due to their ability to bypass democratic norms. However, no all crises depend on fast responses. Some crises require deliberations and civil discussions. For example, the climate crisis has seen more significant responses among democratic countries due to their responsiveness to grassroots climate activism. Democracies have also performed better in [handling geopolitical conflicts and avoiding wars](https://www.brookings.edu/research/liberal-democracy-and-the-path-to-peace-and-security/), likely due to their more deliberative and cautious nature. Furthermore, the essence of dictatorships lies in the priority of the interests of the ruling class. Hence, if a crisis does not concern the core interests of the dictator regimes, they are much more likely than democratic governments to ignore the crises. In fact, many humanitarian crises against minorities come directly from these dictatorships, chief among them the genocides currently ongoing in China. Hence, the crisis management skills of dictatorships depend significantly on the nature of the crises. At the end of the day, effective crisis management requires more than speed.