Content
List of figures, tables and boxes xiii
Acknowledgements xv
Abbreviations xvii
Preface xix
1 Risk and crisis: definitions, debates and consequences 1
Risk as probability, threat and opportunity 2
Strategic and operational risks 4
Public sector risk 8
The development of risl< management 10
The role of codes and standards 11
Defining crises: schools of thought 14
Understanding the plethora of crisis definitions 19
The crisis management cycle 30
Conclusion 32
2 Risk and crisis management: drivers and barriers 38
Adopting a systematic approach to risk and crises 39
Justifying risk and crisis management 40
Environmental drivers 46
Barriers to effectiveness 54
Understanding the causes of crises 55
Identifying crises before they arrive 59
Conclusion 63
3 Assessing, evaluating and communicating risks 69
The changing focus on risk assessment 70
Risk identification 71
Risk evaluation 75
Risk perception 77
What is acceptable risk? 81
The precautionary principle 84
Risk communication 89
Conclusion 94
4 Responding to risk: strategies and methods 100
Strategies for responding to risks 101
Methods of risk control 108
Issues of proportionality 113
Auditing and reviewing 115
Benchmarking risk management performance 116
Business continuity planning and management 117
Risk management versus business continuity management 120
The resilient organization 121
The business continuity management process 123
A risk management implementation strategy 126
5 Contingency planning and crisis preparedness 131
Planning and preparedness: a primer 132
A cycle of preparedness 133
The concept of resilience 145
Ideal planning versus public sector reality 147
Conclusion 155
6 Managing the acute phase of crisis: from politics to technology 160
Acute crisis management: elementary issues 161
Functions and response patterns 163
Influences on the acute stage of crisis management 177
Acute-stage management : a high-wire balancing act 185
7 After the crisis: evaluation, learning and accountability 191
Post -crisis evaluation : learning and accountability in context 192
The challenge of evaluation : what constitutes a successful crisis response? 194
Post-crisis policy reform and learning 198
Accountability and blame games 206
Factors influencing the crisis aftermath 211
Conclusion 216
8 Risk and crisis- management in a global world 220
The paradox of globalization 221
Emerging global risks 222
Growing risks 224
Interval risks 229
Speculative risks 230
Humanitarian crisis management 231
Remote crisis management 234
Transboundary crisis management 239
Conclusion 241
Conclusion 245
Managing risk in public service organizations: a case study 247
Crisis management : a personal account by Ed van
Thijn, former Mayor of Amsterdam 254
Index 257