Abstract
Disasters have been regarded as a source of lesson-drawing and major driver of policy change. This study aims to propose a policy change model related to catastrophic events and test its usefulness. The PCAD model suggested in this study can handle dynamic interactions among various actors. The authors applied the PCAD model to the five cases of policy change in Korea and the United States and identified four policy lessons. First, policy change after disasters is likely to happen by the interaction of the following four streams: citizens’ interest and demand for institutional reform, problem identification, political leadership, and administrative effort. Second, large-scale disasters do not necessarily entail changes in disaster response organizations and laws. Disaster response organizations and laws can be improved only when the citizens, governments, politicians, and the media pursue change with a strong will. Third, in general, policy changes cannot solve all the problems embedded in the society, implying that vulnerability remains and thus a catastrophic event can occur when certain conditions are met. Finally, the government should prioritize enhancing the national disaster response system so that it can appropriately respond to all types of risks.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Birkland, T. A. (1997). After disaster: Agenda setting, public policy, and focusing event. Georgetown University Press.
Birkland, T. A. (2005). An introduction to the policy process: Theories, concepts, and models of public policy making. Routledge.
Birkland, T. A. (2006). Lessons of disaster: Policy change after catastrophic events. Georgetown University Press.
Birkland, T. A. (2009). Disasters, lessons learned, and fantasy documents. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 17(3), 146–156. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5973.2009.00575.x
Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea. (2003a). Report on the preparedness to natural disaster.
Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea. (2003b). Report on the accident of Daegu Subway Fire.
Cohen, M. D., March, J. G., & Olsen, J. P. (1972). A garbage can model of organizational choice. Administrative Science Quarterly, 17(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.2307/2392088
Etkin, D. (2014). Disaster theory: An interdisciplinary approach to concepts and causes. Butterworth- Heinemann.
Kim, Y. K. (2018). Disaster characteristics and disaster management in the Republic of Korea. Purngil.
Kim, Y. K., & Sohn, H. G. (2018). Disaster risk management in the Republic of Korea. Springer Singapore.
Kingdon, J. W. (1995). Agendas, alternatives and public policies. Harper Collins College Publishers.
Kingdon, J. W. (2010). Agenda, alternatives and public policies, update edition, with an epilogue on health care (2nd ed.). Longman.
NEMA. (2009). 60 year history of disaster management in Korea.
Sapat, A., Li, Y., Mitchell, C., & Esnard, A. M. (2011). Policy learning and policy change: Katrina, Ike and post-disaster housing. International journal of mass emergencies and disasters, 29(1).
Song, J. G., & Lee, D. H. (2003). Crisis of society and TV journalism. Communication books.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this entry
Cite this entry
Kim, Yk., Lee, Dk. (2023). Policy Change in the Wake of Major Disasters. In: Singh, A. (eds) International Handbook of Disaster Research. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-8800-3_152-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-8800-3_152-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-16-8800-3
Online ISBN: 978-981-16-8800-3
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Business and ManagementReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences