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A Comparison of Disaster Paradigms: The Search for a Holistic Policy Guide
Title: A Comparison of Disaster Paradigms: The Search for a Holistic Policy Guide
Date: May/June 2002
Author: David A. McEntire, Christopher Fuller, Chad W. Johnson, and Richard Weber.
Institution: University of North Texas
Bibliographic Entry: McEntire, David A., Christopher Fuller, Chad W. Johnson, and Richard Weber. “A Comparison of Disaster Paradigms: The Search for a Holistic Policy Guide.” Public Administration Review 62 (3), 267–281, May/June 2002.
Electronic Link: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1540-6210.00178
Key Words: emergency management, disaster-resistant communities, disaster-resilient communities, sustainable development, sustainable hazards mitigation, invulnerable development
Summary of Key Points, Issues, Conclusions:
This article addresses the future of emergency management and theoretical constructs designed to guide research and assist practitioners in reducing disaster. The concepts of disaster-resistant community, disaster-resilient community, and sustainable development/sustainable hazards mitigation—the most recognized academic paradigms and policy guides—provide advantages for disaster scholarship and management.
The article reviews each of the concepts and examines their merit. These approaches may not be complete, since they are not based on comprehensive management and previous research. They may also fail to address sufficiently triggering agents, functional areas, actors, variables, and disciplines pertaining to disaster events as well as the importance of vulnerability in multidisciplinary disaster scholarship.
The authors assert that any future paradigm and policy guide must be based on comprehensive emergency management. The concept of comprehensive vulnerability management is introduced and suggested to be better suited to guide scholarly and practitioner efforts in order to reduce disasters. It is labeled as a more appropriate concept and holistic policy guide when compared to the other alternatives. The article explores the history, characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses of comprehensive emergency management.
Name of Researcher: Alison Stevens
Institution: Integrative Center for Homeland Security, Texas A&M University
Date Posted: February 26, 2008