Building Joint Crisis Management Capacity? Comparing Civil Security Systems in 22 European Countries

Abstract

A series of transboundary crises and disasters has increased pressure on European states to cooperate in the realm of crisis and disaster management. The European Union has taken an active role to connect national capacities of member states. Little is known, however, about the compatibilities of national civil protection systems. This article attempts to fill that void. We draw on a comparative study on 22 European states and highlight similarities as well as patterns of variation. We explore how different states define the role of government during crises and disasters; we map the administrative structures and procedures in place to provide civil security. We also assess the quality of these systems. Our findings reveal that administrative responsibilities, legal frameworks and operational practices differ markedly, as the national systems are rooted in national contexts and historical experiences. In the light of our findings, we contemplate what role the EU can play to build joint transboundary crisis management capacity.

A framework for evaluating the effectiveness of flood emergency management systems in Europe

“…These include problems in coordination, planning and preparation, control, and local expertise. However, while Bossong and Hegemann (2013) and Kuipers et al (2015) take an important step forward in terms of developing an assessment framework for assessing the quality of CSS, according to the criteria of effectiveness, efficiency, and legitimacy, they neglect to develop the necessary benchmarks for ensuring consistency and comparability in cross-country assessments.…”

“…In this respect, Waugh and Streib (2006) stress the importance of organizational cultures whereby collaboration and cooperation are embedded. This is increasingly seen in developed countries where a discursive shift toward the notion of Integrated Emergency Management is witnessed, whereby partnerships and http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol21/iss4/art27/ forms of horizontal and vertical governance are required (Drabek 1985, Kuipers et al 2015). …”

“…The effectiveness of such systems is dependent upon a number of factors, which are well documented with the fields of crisis and disaster management, safety science, and public administration, such as the need for mechanisms that facilitate coordination, collaboration, and communication (e.g., Boin and 't Hart 2010). However, there have been only a few attempts to translate these findings into an operational framework for evaluating emergency management systems (McConnell 2011, Bossong and Hegemann 2013, Kuipers et al 2015 or disaster management systems (Cardona et al 2005, Carreño et al 2007. Such a framework could play a valuable role in monitoring the progress of current systems and identifying their strengths and weaknesses, as well as function as a tool for facilitating crosscountry comparisons.…”

Disaster management within the framework of a changing disaster landscape

“…Scientists emphasize that a mixture of new threats and accruing vulnerabilities undermine the stability and prosperity of modern societies to a high extent (Boin & Lodge, 2016;Kuipers et al, 2015). Unseen complexity and tight coupling of critical infrastructures are considered the main drivers of unanticipated events which can hardly been controlled (OECD, 2011;Perrow C., 1984).…”

“…The researchers conclude that efforts to enhance transboundary coordination and information sharing is a work in progress which moves slowly, and that the EU is still far removed from acting in an autonomous fashion since capacities have barely been institutionalized: "member states maintain full authority and choose which tasks to delegate to the EU" (Boin et al, 2014, p. 140). This implies that any joint response to a transboundary crisis requires the cooperation and the resources of one or more member states (Kuipers et al, 2015). As the existing civil protection systems of the EU member states still constitute the core elements of any European transboundary response system, Kuipers et al (2015) carried out a comparative study of these systems in 22 European states.…”