Description
Book SynopsisDisasters, riots and terrorist attacks pose a constant and frightening challenge to Western societies and governments. This volume explores the post-crisis investigations that take place once stability has been restored. The contributors examine the politics of who or what is to blame and the lessons that can be learned.
Trade Review'Too many are unprepared to handle crisis; still more are ignorant of post-crisis dynamics. This book allows us to understand the issues involved and to choose the appropriate roadmaps in the post-event phase. Do not miss these illuminating case studies: they could - tonight or tomorrow - tip the balance between fiasco and success.' Patrick Lagadec, Director of Research, Ecole Polytechnique, Paris
'This volume laudably focuses on a relatively neglected topic, the specifically political dimensions of crises and disasters. The authors also make a good case that political elites and organizations more than citizens have to be held accountable for their behavior, since they are the locus of pre-crisis policy decisions. Another worthwhile emphasis is on the differential effects of crisis management on politicians and public officials.' E. L. Quarantelli Professor Emeritus, Disaster Research Center, University of Delaware
Table of Contents1. Governing after crisis Arjen Boin, Allan McConnell and Paul 't Hart; Part I. Crisis-Induced Accountability: 2. Weathering the politics of responsibility and blame: the Bush administration and its response to hurricane Katrina Thomas Preston; 3. A reversal of fortune: blame games and framing contests after the 3/11 terrorist attacks in Madrid José A. Olmeda; 4. Flood response and political survival: Gerhard Schröder and the 2002 Elbe flood in Germany Evelyn Bytzek; 5. The politics of tsunami responses: comparing patterns of blame management in Scandinavia Annika Brändström, Sanneke Kuipers and Pär Daléus; 6. Dutroux and dioxin: crisis investigations, elite accountability and institutional reform in Belgium Sofie Staelraeve and Paul 't Hart; Part II. Crisis-Induced Policy Change and Learning: 7. The 1975 Stockholm embassy seizure: crisis and the absence of reform Dan Hansén; 8. The Walkerton water tragedy and the Jerusalem banquet hall collapse: regulatory failure and policy change Robert Schwartz and Allan McConnell; 9. Learning from crisis: NASA and the Challenger disaster Arjen Boin; 10. September 11 and post-crisis investigation: exploring the role and impact of the 9/11 commission Charles F. Parker and Sander Dekker; 11. Conclusions: the politics of crisis exploitation Arjen Boin, Paul 't Hart and Allan McConnell.
