
Lessons of Disaster
Description
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Even before the wreckage of a disaster is cleared, one question is foremost in the minds of the public: "What can be done to prevent this from happening again?" Today, news media and policymakers often invoke the "lessons of September 11" and the "lessons of Hurricane Katrina." Certainly, these unexpected events heightened awareness about problems that might have contributed to or worsened the disasters, particularly about gaps in preparation. Inquiries and investigations are made that claim that "lessons" were "learned" from a disaster, leading us to assume that we will be more ready the next time a similar threat looms, and that our government will put in place measures to protect us.
In Lessons of Disaster, Thomas Birkland takes a critical look at this assumption. We know that disasters play a role in setting policy agendas-in getting policymakers to think about problems-but does our government always take the next step and enact new legislation or regulations? To determine when and how a catastrophic event serves as a catalyst for true policy change, the author examines four categories of disasters: aviation security, homeland security, earthquakes, and hurricanes. He explores lessons learned from each, focusing on three types of policy change: change in the larger social construction of the issues surrounding the disaster; instrumental change, in which laws and regulations are made; and political change, in which alliances are created and shifted. Birkland argues that the type of disaster affects the types of lessons learned from it, and that certain conditions are necessary to translate awareness into new policy, including media attention, salience for a large portion of the public, the existence of advocacy groups for the issue, and the preexistence of policy ideas that can be drawn upon.
This timely study concludes with a discussion of the interplay of multiple disasters, focusing on the initial government response to Hurricane Katrina and the negative effect the September 11 catastrophe seems to have had on reaction to that tragedy.
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Person
Thomas A. Birkland is the William T. Kretzer Professor of Public Policy in the School of Public and International Affairs at North Carolina State University. He is the author of After Disaster: Agenda Setting, Public Policy, and Focusing Events.
Content
Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Theories and Models of Policy Change and Learning
Knowledge, Learning, and Policy Change
A Model of Event-Related Policy Change
Learning and Lessons in This Study
Methods
The Case Studies
Conclusion
2. September 11, Learning, and Policy Change
What is Homeland Security?
Events and Reports: The Emergence of the Homeland Security Problem
The September 11 Attacks as Focusing Events
September 11, Policy Failure, Learning, and Change
Conclusions: Learning after September 11
3. Learning from Aviation Security Disasters
Historical Trends in Aviation Security
Agenda Change and Security Incidents
Policy Change, Learning, and Implementation
Implementation Problems in Aviation Security
Conclusions
4. Learning From Earthquakes and Hurricanes
Why Natural Hazards Matter
Disaster Mitigation as a Primary Goal of Disaster Policy
Earthquakes and Hurricanes on National and Local Agendas
Legislation and Regulation
Learning from Disasters at the State and Local Level
Conclusions
5. Summary and Conclusions
Learning and the Policy Process
Revisiting the Propositions
Assessing the Elements of the Model
Factors that Promote and Inhibit Learning
Focusing Events and the Accumulation of Knowledge
Policy Implementation and Lessons
Hurricane Katrina and the Unlearning Of Lessons
Notes
References
Index Notes
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