A précis on political theory and emergency management

Richard T. Sylves, PhD

doi:10.5055/jem.2004.0030

Authors

Richard T. Sylves, PhD

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.2004.0030

Keywords:

-

Abstract

This article is a short overview of political and public management theory in emergency management. The work applies the dichotomous public management theories of Jefferson and Hamilton to emergency management. The establishment of emergency management as a profession, the bureaucratic politics of the field, principal agent theory, and codification/diffusion of knowledge are discussed.

Author Biography

Richard T. Sylves, PhD

Professor of Political Science and International Relations, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware.

References

Lynn LE: Public Management as Art, Science, and Profession. Chatham, NJ: Chatham House Publishers, 1996.

Lynn 1996, 144-149.

Tierney KJ, Lindell MK, Perry RW: Facing the Unexpected: Disaster Preparedness and Response in the United States. Washington, DC: Joseph Henry Press, 2001: 233-240.

Tierney et al. 2001, 236.

Sylves RT, Waugh WL (eds.): Disaster Management in the US and Canada. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publishers, 1996. See also Waugh WL: Living with Hazards Dealing with Disasters. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe, 2000; and Sylves RT, Waugh WL: Organizing the war on terrorism. Public Admin Rev. 2002; 62: 81-89.

Drabek TE: The evolution of emergency management. In Drabek TE, Hoetmer GJ (eds.): Emergency Management Principles and Practice for Local Government. Washington, DC: ICMA, 1991. See also, Schneider SK: Flirting with Disaster: Public Management in Crisis Situations. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe, 1995.

Wamsley GL: Escalating in a quagmire: The changing dynamics of the emergency management policy subsystem. Public Admin Rev. 1996; 56: 235-244; and Sylves RT: Ferment at FEMA: Reforming emergency management. Public Admin Rev. 1994; 56: 303-307.

Lynn 1996, 91.

Barnard CI: Functions of the Executive (30th anniversary ed.) Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1968.

Witt JL, Morgan, J: Stronger in the Broken Places: Ten Lessons for Turning Crisis into Triumph. New York: Times Books, 2002.

Simon HA, Thompson VA, Smithburg DW: Public Administration. New York: Knopf, 1950.

Allison GT: Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis. Boston: Little, Brown, 1971.

Sylves and Waugh, 1996; Waugh 2000.

Stallings RA: Promoting Risk: Constructing the Earthquake Threat. New York: Aldine de Gruyter, 1995. See also, Blocker TJ, Rochford EB, Jr., and Sherkat DE: Political responses to natural hazards: Social movement participation following a flood. Int J of Mass Emergencies Disasters. 1991; 9: 367-382.

Tierney et al. 2001, 194-195.

Lynn 1996, 116.

Arrow KJ: The economics of agency. In Pratt JW, Zeckhauser RJ (eds.): Principals and Agents: The Structure of Business. Boston: Harvard Business School, 1988, 37-51.

Elmore RF: Backward mapping: Implementation research and policy decisions. Pol Sci Q. 1979-1980; 94(4): 69-83.

Lindblom CE: The Intelligence of Democracy: Decision Making through Mutual Adjustment. New York: Free Press, 1965.

Heclo H: A Government of Strangers: Executive Politics in Washington. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institute, 1977.

Barzelay M: Breaking through Bureaucracy: A New Vision for Man age ment in Government. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1992.

Lynn 1996, 145.

Cumming WR: FEMA Office of General Counsel (ret.). E-mail exchange with the author, March 15, 2003.

Lynn 1996, 165.

Haddow GD, Bullock, JA: Introduction to Emergency Management. Amsterdam: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2003.

Birkland TA: After Disaster: Agenda Setting, Public Policy, and Focusing Events.Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 1997. See also May PJ: Recovering from Catastrophes: Federal Disaster Relief Policy and Politics. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1985; and May PJ, Williams W: Disaster Policy Implementation: Managing Programs under Shared Governance. New York: Plenum Press, 1986.

Heineman RA: Political Science: An Introduction. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996, 21.