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Organizing for Crisis Management: Building Governance Capacity and Legitimacy
Author(s) -
Christensen Tom,
Lægreid Per,
Rykkja Lise H.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
public administration review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.721
H-Index - 139
eISSN - 1540-6210
pISSN - 0033-3352
DOI - 10.1111/puar.12558
Subject(s) - legitimacy , argument (complex analysis) , corporate governance , context (archaeology) , government (linguistics) , situational ethics , flexibility (engineering) , politics , public administration , political science , adaptation (eye) , business , economics , management , law , finance , paleontology , biochemistry , chemistry , linguistics , philosophy , physics , optics , biology
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.