Governing After Crisis : The Politics of Investigation, Accountability and Learning

The constant threat of crises such as disasters, riots and terrorist attacks poses a frightening challenge to Western societies and governments. While the causes and dynamics of these events have been widely studied, we know little about what happens following their containment and the restoration of stability. This volume explores 'post-crisis politics,' examining how crises give birth to longer term dynamic processes of accountability and learning which are characterised by official investigations, blame games, political manoeuvring, media scrutiny and crisis exploitation. Drawing from a wide range of contemporary crises, including Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, the Madrid train bombings, the Walkerton water contamination, Space Shuttles Challenger and Columbia and the Boxing Day Asian tsunami, this is a ground-breaking volume which addresses the longer term impact of crisis-induced politics. Competing pressures for stability and change mean that policies, institutions and leaders may occasionally be uprooted, but often survive largely intact. Cover 1 Half-title 3 Title 5 Copyright 6 Dedication 7 Contents 9 Illustrations 11 Tables 12 Contributors 15 Introduction 17 1 Governing after crisis 19 The politics of crisis management: an introduction 19 Background and aims 21 Crisis-induced governance challenges 23 Crises and politics 25 Crisis-induced accountability: leaders and blame games 27 Crises and the fates of political leaders 29 Crisis-induced learning: rhetoric, policies and institutions 29 Crisis and the fates of policies and institutions 32 Crisis politics and crisis outcomes 33 Situational and contextual factors 34 This volume: design and overview 37 References 42 Part I Crisis-induced accountability 47 2 Weathering the politics of responsibility and blame: the Bush administration and its response to Hurricane Katrina 49 Introduction 49 Leadership style, crisis management and the blame game 51 The leader’s need for control/involvement 52 The leader’s sensitivity to context 53 Compatibility of the current ‘type’ of crisis with the leader’s style 57 The preexisting style of George W. Bush 59 The evolving politics of responsibility and blame over Katrina 60 Meaning making (strategic agenda setting) 63 Processes of inquiry and investigation 66 Maintaining a tight grip on inquires vs. allowing genuine independence 67 Blaming others vs. accepting responsibility 68 Hiding failings vs. exposing them 72 Conclusion 72 References 73 3 A reversal of fortune: blame games and framing contests after the 3/11 terrorist attacks in Madrid 78 Introduction 78 Framing contests in the wake of crises: A theoretical perspective 79 The context: creeping vulnerability 82 The March attacks: initial responses 84 The government’s response: blaming ETA 84 A counterframe emerges in the media 86 A framing contest develops 87 Flash mobs and high politics 89 Apotheosis: the election 91 Analysis: the selective politicisation of a security crisis 92 Conclusion: from governmental responsibility to electoral accountability 98 References 99 4 Flood response and political survival: Gerhard Schröder and the 2002 Elbe flood in Germany 101 Introduction: floods and political tides 101 The 2002 Elbe floods: civil emergency as political opportunity 102 Crisis management and voter expectations 105 From papers to polls: media crisis reporting and its consequences 109 Intensity 111 Thematic content 111 Framing 115 Analysis 116 Conclusions 123 References 124 5 The politics of tsunami responses: comparing patterns of blame management in Scandinavia 130 Introduction 130 Playing hardball: blaming strategies in crisis management 132 Constructing severity 133 Constructing agency 134 Constructing responsibility 135 Synthesis: the blaming tree 136 An Asian disaster making waves in Scandinavia 137 Constructing severity 139 Constructing agency 146 Constructing responsibility 149 Conclusions 156 The road ahead 159 References 161 6 Dutroux and dioxin: crisis investigations, elite accountability and institutional reform in Belgium 164 Introduction: catalytic crises in the Belgian polity 164 One government, sequential crises 167 The Dutroux affair: from sex crimes to institutional crisis (1996–1998 and after) 168 The dioxin contamination: from electoral dynamite to political obscurity (1999–2000) 171 Parliamentary investigations in Belgium 173 The investigation process: exploiting the moment 174 The Dutroux inquiry (and its aftermath) 174 The dioxin inquiry (and its political pre-emption) 180 The inquiry context: a polity scarred by scandals 184 Crisis investigations in Belgium: beyond ritual? 186 References 193 Part II Crisis-induced policy change and learning 197 7 The 1975 Stockholm embassy seizure: crisis and the absence of reform 199 Introduction 199 One dramatic day and an inconclusive decade 200 Police reform 201 The Stockholm police special-response units and special events 202 Nuclear safety and the ‘atom police’ 203 Macropolitical preconditions: conducive to change? 204 Crisis and perspectives on policy change: beliefs and attention 205 MS, PE and ACF: concealed similarities and apparent differences 207 Individuals: ideas, beliefs and preferences 207 Collective action and institutional settings 209 Policy change 211 Understanding the stability of counterterrorism policy 213 Belief-based logic: decomposed coalitions, beliefs intact 213 Attention-based logic: entrepreneurial efforts in adverse conditions 216 Conclusion 218 References 220 8 The Walkerton water tragedy and the Jerusalem banquet hall collapse: regulatory failure and policy change 224 Introduction: a puzzle emerging from tragedy 224 The politics of risk regulation 226 Two regulatory failures 228 Walkerton water contamination 228 Jerusalem banquet hall collapse 232 A framework for explaining different policy trajectories in the wake of regulatory failure 235 Walkerton: a regulatory regime backfires 236 Jerusalem: a regulatory failure lost in high politics 240 Conclusion: still a ‘puzzle’ of postcrisis politics? 243 References 245 9 Learning from crisis: NASA and the Challenger disaster 248 Introduction: did NASA learn from the Challenger disaster? 248 A brief history of NASA’s human space flight: from Apollo to Columbia 249 The Apollo race: reconciling risk, resources and schedules 249 A philosophy of calculated risk: success and failure 252 Valued traditions vs. new disasters 253 Learning from disaster 254 Endogenous vs. exogenous learning 255 Single-loop vs. double-loop learning 257 Technical vs. political evaluation 258 NASA and the Challenger: the politics of learning revisited 259 Internal vs. external learning: NASA’s responsive attitude 259 Single-loop vs. double-loop learning: Rogers opens Pandora’s box 261 Technical vs. political assessment: follow the trail 263 Conclusion: learning and the long shadow of the Challenger disaster 266 References 268 10 September 11 and postcrisis investigation: exploring the role and impact of the 9/11 Commission 271 Postcrisis politics and reform: the remarkable role of the 9/11 Commission 271 The impact of the 9/11 Commission 273 Making sense of the 9/11 commission: three perspectives 276 Commissions as fact-finding mechanisms and learning devices 277 The 9/11 commission as a learning device 278 The logic of realpolitik: the contested nature of postcrisis inquiries 281 The struggle over the 9/11 commission 282 The symbolic dimension of meaning making: postcrisis commissions as interpretive authorities 287 The Bush administration’s symbolic needs and motives 289 The 9/11 commission: achieving the status of a trusted interpretive authority 290 Conclusion 294 References 295 Conclusion 299 11 Conclusions: the politics of crisis exploitation 301 Crisis aftermaths as framing contests 301 Shadows cast by crises 305 Fates of leaders, institutions and policies 307 Crisis exploitation: elite manoeuvring 313 The politics of crisis commissions 319 Political crisis exploitation by ‘learning’ and ‘reform’ 325 Coda: crisis management and the transformation of governance 328 References 330 Index 333 This Volume Explores Postcrisis Politics, Examining How Crises Give Birth To Longer-term Dynamic Processes Of Accountability And Learning Characterised By Official Investigations, Blame Games, Political Manoeuvering, Media Scrutiny And Crisis Exploitation. Drawing From A Wide Range Of Contemporary Crises, Including Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, The Madrid Train Bombings, The Walkerton Water Contamination, The Destruction Of The Space Shuttles Challenger And Columbia And The Boxing Day Asian Tsunami, This Volume Addresses The Longer-term Impact Of Crisis-induced Politics. Competing Pressures For Stability And Change Mean That Policies, Institutions And Leaders May Occasionally Be Uprooted But Often Survive Largely Intact. This Volume Explores Why And Under What Conditions Preservation Trumps Reform In The Wake Of Crisis.--jacket. Governing After Crisis / Arjen Boin, Allan Mcconnell And Paul 't Hart -- Weathering The Politics Of Responsibility And Blame : The Bush Administration And Its Response To Hurricane Katrina / Thomas Preston -- A Reversal Of Fortune : Blame Games And Framing Contests After The 3/11 Terrorist Attacks In Madrid / José A. Olmeda -- Flood Response And Political Survival : Gerhard Schröder And The 2002 Elbe Flood In Germany / Evelyn Bytzek -- The Politics Of Tsunami Responses : Comparing Patterns Of Blame Management In Scandinavia / Annika Brändström, Sanneke Kuipers And Pär Daléus -- Dutroux And Dioxin : Crisis Investigations, Elite Accountability And Institutional Reform In Belgium / Sofie Staelraeve And Paul 't Hart -- The 1975 Stockholm Embassy Seizure : Crisis And The Absence Of Reform / Dan Hansén -- The Walkerton Water Tragedy And The Jerusalem Banquet Hall Collapse : Regulatory Failure And Policy Change / Robert Schwartz And Allan Mcconnell -- Learning From Crisis : Nasa And The Challenger Disaster / Arjen Boin -- September 11 And Postcrisis Investigation : Exploring The Role And Impact Of The 9/11 Commission / Charles F. Parker And Sander Dekker -- Conclusions: The Politics Of Crisis Exploitation / Arjen Boin, Paul 't Hart And Allan Mcconnell. Edited By Arjen Boin, Allan Mcconnell, Paul 't Hart. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.