Governing after Crisis
The Politics of Investigation, Accountability and Learning

Examines post-crisis investigations and addresses the longer term impact of crisis-induced politics.

Arjen Boin (Edited by), Allan McConnell (Edited by), Paul 't Hart (Edited by)

9780521885294, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 11 February 2008

338 pages, 6 b/w illus.
23.5 x 15.5 x 2 cm, 0.56 kg

'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

The constant threat of crises such as disasters, riots and terrorist attacks poses a frightening challenge to Western societies and governments. While the causes and dynamics of these events have been widely studied, we know little about what happens following their containment and the restoration of stability. This volume explores 'post-crisis politics,' examining how crises give birth to longer term dynamic processes of accountability and learning which are characterised by official investigations, blame games, political manoeuvring, media scrutiny and crisis exploitation. Drawing from a wide range of contemporary crises, including Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, the Madrid train bombings, the Walkerton water contamination, Space Shuttles Challenger and Columbia and the Boxing Day Asian tsunami, this is a ground-breaking volume which addresses the longer term impact of crisis-induced politics. Competing pressures for stability and change mean that policies, institutions and leaders may occasionally be uprooted, but often survive largely intact.

1. 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.

Subject Areas: Political structure & processes [JPH], Comparative politics [JPB], Sociology [JHB]