Dealing with Disaster: Public Management in Crisis Situations

The Framework of Crisis‐Induced Agenda Setting in China

“…In case of highly infectious pandemic disease, people would expect the government to provide a clear direction on preventive measures. Owing to the incapability of individuals in providing solutions as they are either incompetent or lack of incentives, crises can only be addressed and managed realistically by the government (Perry & Mushkatel ; Schneider ). Government as public service provider must play a crucial role in these kinds of troubles and threats for public source, public infrastructure, public mood and public order.…”

“…They just simply try to neglect the (potential) crises. It is probably that the new crisis has led to new issues that have not been previously addressed (Schneider ) so that potential harm is not realized by either side. Alternatively, owing to slow‐burn or long‐shadow features of crises (Rosenthal et al ), the crisis itself may not be capable enough to draw broad attention by a single event.…”

“…Public officials can use a crisis situation to demonstrate their leadership abilities and willingness to tackle tough, difficult problems. Likewise, crises allow political leaders to show their concern for citizen needs and demands (Schneider ). A crisis presents a perfect opportunity to give credit or enhance legitimacy for authority.…”

Anti‐Government Is Not the Solution to the Problem—Anti‐Government Is the Problem: The Role of Ideology in Presidential Response to Natural Disasters From San Francisco to Katrina

“…The federal government's role in emergency management in the United States has emerged slowly (see, e.g., Kapucu, Van Wart, Silves, & Yuldashev, ; Rubin, , chapters 1–3; Schneider, , 18ff). Originally, the assumption was that state and local governments, charities, and private organizations bore primary responsibility, but as the twentieth century proceeded, the federal government progressively came to take on greater responsibility.…”

“…Numerous scholars have sought to explain this. Schneider () asked “why is governmental response so inconsistent?” and found that “the key to a successful governmental response depends on the extent to which postdisaster human behavior corresponds to prior governmental expectations and planning” (p. 6). It is the “ size of the gap [italics in original] between bureaucratic norms … that accounts for the success or failure of the entire governmental relief effort” (Schneider, , 8).…”