Civil Protection Cooperation in the European Union: How Trust and Administrative Culture Matter for Crisis Management (European Administrative Governance)

“This fine team of academics moves beyond mere descriptions of capacities, structures and processes to explain the effectiveness of Civil Protection in the EU. With their exploration of trust as a key factor, they deliver the best book so far on this critical topic.” —Arjen Boin, Leiden University, the Netherlands “Grounded in unique and voluminous fieldwork within the EU’s nascent community of civil protection practitioners and mechanisms, this timely study shows us that interpersonal and professional trust rooted in collegiate relationships is pivotal for bridging the different policy styles embedded in member states’ administrative cultures and building much-needed cohesive, effective and resilient European crisis management capacity. A gem for crisis management and EU scholars alike.” —Paul ‘t Hart, Utrecht University and Netherlands School of Public Administration, the Netherlands The EU and its member states have committed themselves to the protection of their citizens, and a Europe that protects must be able to respond effectively when disaster strikes. Utilizing unique survey data and interviews in nineteen EU member states, this book treats civil protection and crisis management as crucial cases for investigating which factors—such as trust, public-administration culture, and public-administration structure—facilitate or hinder effective EU cooperation. In addition to investigating the main divides and unifying patterns of cooperation that exist among the EU member states, the authors combine knowledge from crisis management studies together with insights from public and social capital studies to examine to what extent so-called ‘software factors’, such as culture, trust, and norms, matter for achieving effective civil protection cooperation and crisis management. Front Matter ....Pages i-xvii The Road to a Europe That Protects: Civil Protection, Trust, and the Culture of Public Administration in the EU (Sten Widmalm, Charles F. Parker, Thomas Persson)....Pages 1-36 Investigating Cooperation Within the EU on Civil Protection and Crisis Management (Sten Widmalm, Charles F. Parker, Thomas Persson)....Pages 37-54 Unifying and Dividing Traits in Civil-Protection and Crisis-Management Institutions in the EU (Sten Widmalm, Charles F. Parker, Thomas Persson)....Pages 55-101 Assessing the Effectiveness of Civil Protection at National and EU Levels (Sten Widmalm, Charles F. Parker, Thomas Persson)....Pages 103-132 Trust in the EU as a Leading Force in Civil Protection (Sten Widmalm, Charles F. Parker, Thomas Persson)....Pages 133-158 Challenges and the Road Ahead for Civil Protection Cooperation in the EU (Sten Widmalm, Charles F. Parker, Thomas Persson)....Pages 159-184 Back Matter ....Pages 185-200 The EU and its member states have committed themselves to the protection of their citizens, and a Europe that protects must be able to respond effectively when disaster strikes. Utilizing unique survey data and interviews in nineteen EU member states, this book treats civil protection and crisis management as crucial cases for investigating which factors - such as trust, public-administration culture, and public-administration structure - facilitate or hinder effective EU cooperation. In addition to investigating the main divides and unifying patterns of cooperation that exist among the EU member states, the authors combine knowledge from crisis management studies together with insights from public and social capital studies to examine to what extent so-called 'software factors', such as culture, trust, and norms, matter for achieving effective civil protection cooperation and crisis management Based on unique survey data and interviews in nineteen EU member states, this book explores the challenges the EU and its member states face in order to achieve more effective cooperation in the quest to better protect its citizens, namely in the critical field of civil protection. it provides insights to what kind of cooperative structures exist in Europe in this issue area - in single countries, between countries, and at the EU level. It shows how trust, shared norms, cooperative networks, and administrative culture determines how well the system functions, and determines the capacity to cooperate. It also analyzes which divides in the EU that are the most challenging for future policy reforms