In modern, policy-heavy democracies, blame games about policy controversies are commonplace. Despite their ubiquity, blame games are notoriously difficult to study. This book elevates them to the ...place they deserve in the study of politics and public policy. Blame games are microcosms of conflictual politics that yield unique insights into democracies under pressure. Based on an original framework and the comparison of fifteen blame games in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, and the US, it exposes the institutionalized forms of conflict management that democracies have developed to manage policy controversies. Whether failed infrastructure projects, food scandals, security issues, or flawed policy reforms, democracies manage policy controversies in an idiosyncratic manner. This book is addressed not only to researchers and students interested in political conflict in the fields of political science, public policy, public administration, and political communication, but to everyone concerned about the functioning of democracy in more conflictual times. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
Governing the Pandemic Boin, Arjen; McConnell, Allan; t Hart, Paul
2021, 2021-05-10
eBook
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This open access book offers unique insights into how governments and governing systems, particularly in advanced economies, have responded to the immense challenges of managing the coronavirus ...pandemic and the ensuing disease COVID-19. Written by three eminent scholars in the field of the politics and policy of crisis management, it offers a unique ‘bird’s eye’ view of the immense logistical and political challenges of addressing a worst-case scenario that would prove the ultimate stress test for societies, governments, governing institutions and political leaders. It examines how governments and governing systems have (i) made sense of emerging transboundary threats that have spilled across health, economic, political and social systems (ii) mobilised systems of governance and often fearful and sceptical citizens (iii) crafted narratives amid high uncertainty about the virus and its impact and (iv) are working towards closure and a return to ‘normal’ when things can never quite be the same again. The book also offers the building blocks of pathways to future resilience. Succeeding and failing in all these realms is tied in with governance structures, experts, trust, leadership capabilities and political ideologies. The book appeals to anyone seeking to understand ‘what’s going on?’, but particularly academics and students across multiple disciplines, journalists, public officials, politicians, non-governmental organisations and citizen groups.
The paper argues for the need to look beyond norms in accounting for the Southern African Development Community's (SADC) noncommittal approach to crisis management in Zimbabwe from the year 2000 ...onwards. To justify this need, the paper highlights some notable limitations in the dominant normative explanations for SADC's noncommittal approach to Zimbabwe. The paper posits that norms do not account for SADC's inconsistent approach to crisis management despite their popularity. Norms, therefore, provide a partial and incomplete explanation for SADC's noncommittal approach to Zimbabwe. The paper concludes that the key factors shaping SADC's noncommittal approach to Zimbabwe go beyond just norms to include regional power dynamics in SADC. Therefore, this paper recommends extending the debate on SADC's approach to Zimbabwe beyond the currently dominant issue of norms.
The current Coronavirus crisis is having disastrous effects for most B2B firms around the world. The decline in sales provokes intra-organizational and inter-organizational tension, requiring a new ...approach for managing firms' business operations. Particularly, the direct threat to human beings places the attention of managers on the individual. This study investigates the main differences between prior “traditional” financial-based crises and the practices that managers can adopt to navigate and survive the Coronavirus crisis from a social exchange theory (SET) view. The authors identify eight crisis-comparative dimensions to consider to successfully prevail: (1) formation, (2) focus, (3) temporality, (4) government jurisdiction, (5) preparedness, (6) normality, (7) business, and (8) operational deployment. In addition, the study results propose four intertwined areas to classify the managerial practices: (1) digital transformation, (2) decision-making processes, (3) leadership, and (4) emotions and stress.
•Coronavirus crisis analysis based on social exchange theory (SET). The nature of the Coronavirus crisis underpins the view of B2B intra-organizational and inter-organizational interactions from a more psycho-sociological perspective.•Coronavirus crisis is compared with traditional financial-based crises regarding: (1) formation, (2) focus, (3) temporality, (4) government jurisdiction, (5) preparedness, (6) normality, (7) business, and (8) operational deployment. As a result, the uniqueness of Coronavirus for B2B managers is made clear.•22 practices are identified in order to be managed during the current Coronavirus crisis. Such practices should be contrasted with the internal and external realities of firms. Hence, B2B managers can prioritize their adoption.
Results are classified into four intertwined areas: (1) digital transformation, (2) decision-making processes, (3) leadership, and (4) emotions and stress. Such a classification helps B2B managers to process the suggestions indicated in the study.
Crisis management has become a defining feature of contemporary governance. In times of crisis, communities and members of organizations expect their leaders to minimize the impact of the crisis at ...hand, while critics and bureaucratic competitors try to seize the moment to blame incumbent rulers and their policies. In this extreme environment, policy makers must somehow establish a sense of normality, and foster collective learning from the crisis experience. In this uniquely comprehensive analysis, the authors examine how leaders deal with the strategic challenges they face, the political risks and opportunities they encounter, the errors they make, the pitfalls they need to avoid, and the paths away from crisis they may pursue. This book is grounded in over a decade of collaborative, cross-national case study research, and offers an invaluable multidisciplinary perspective. This is an original and important contribution from experts in public policy and international security.
Crises are no strangers on campuses-whether the deaths of students, severe weather events, athletic wrongdoing, crime, or student or employee malfeasance. How leaders respond can save lives, ...strengthen the institution, and comfort the community-or compromise reputations and result in scandal.Risk management and readiness are not often at the top of the list of what presidents and their boards must do, but in a time of ongoing change, instantaneous communication, and media scrutiny, they risk their jobs and their institutional reputation if they do not heed the messages conveyed in this book. Gretchen Bataille and Diana Cordova, with extensive and varied experiences that include a university presidency, directing senior leadership programs, and counseling presidents and senior administrators faced with critical campus events - together with 22 presidents, seasoned leaders in higher education, and media experts - provide forthright, firsthand advice on preparing for and managing a crisis, as well on handling the emotional, and often long-term, toll that can result from dramatic events on campus. Through the examples of those who have successfully managed crises, this book provides expert insights and guidance on preparedness, assigning roles and responsibilities, and planning for contingencies ahead of time so that, in the moment, when there is pressure for immediate response that will be scrutinized by the media, by the public, and by the local constituencies, leaders can act with confidence.The contributors emphasize the crucial importance of ethical behavior, the need for clear protocols for how all employees should handle problematic issues, and the need for mechanisms that allow employees and students to report problems without fear of retribution. Creating an atmosphere of transparency, accountability, and ethical behavior isn't something a leader does when a scandal strikes to protect a reputation; it's what leaders must do to reinforce their good name every
What makes a well-functioning governmental crisis management system, and how can this be studied using an organization theory–based approach? A core argument is that such a system needs both ...governance capacity and governance legitimacy. Organizational arrangements as well as the legitimacy of government authorities will affect crisis management performance. A central argument is that both structural features and cultural context matter, as does the nature of the crisis. Is it a transboundary crisis? How unique is it, and how much uncertainty is associated with it? The arguments are substantiated with empirical examples and supported by a literature synthesis, focusing on public administration research. A main conclusion is that there is no optimal formula for harmonizing competing interests and tensions or for overcoming uncertainty and ambiguous government structures. Flexibility and adaptation are key assets, which are constrained by the political, administrative, and situational context. Furthermore, a future research agenda is indicated.
: In order to analyze the relative success of countries in combating COVID-19, it is imperative to establish a set of criteria for measuring success in this domain. Subsequently, a consensus must be ...reached on the specific aspects and indicators that define success. Therefore this disease swiftly escalated into a global pandemic, impacting all facets of society and leaving a lasting historical imprint. This study presents a framework for assessing the performance of various countries in their battle against the COVID-19 crisis across four dimensions: healthcare system, crisis management, societal response, and historical perspective. By comparing indicators within each dimension for individual countries separately, we can assess and compare their respective crisis management capabilities while evaluating overall success. However, it is essential to acknowledge that a dichotomy often exists between health-focused solutions and those about economics and politics. Therefore, instead of pursuing an absolute solution or outcome, striving for an optimal balance point is essential. While cross-sectional assessments are necessary during the COVID-19 crisis evaluation process, comprehensive evaluations of the aforementioned dimensions can ultimately determine success levels and identify countries with superior performance.
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