Security as subversion: Undermining access, agency, and voice through the discourse of security

Jennifer Bedford, MS; James Kendra, PhD

doi:10.5055/jem.2009.0087

Authors

Jennifer Bedford, MS
James Kendra, PhD

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.2009.0087

Keywords:

emergency management, homeland security, preparedness

Abstract

This article describes a case in which local emergency planning was thwarted by indifference and concern about security. It argues that excessive security concerns can impede the kind of cooperation and information sharing that is widely accepted as essential to good planning and suggests that concerns about less-likely terrorist attacks undercut preparation for more-likely emergencies arising from natural or technological sources.

Author Biographies

Jennifer Bedford, MS

Independent Scholar, McCall, Idaho

James Kendra, PhD

Department of Public Administration, Emergency Administration and Planning Program, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas.

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