Questions
Each article has a set of questions that need answered. Each question needs to be connected to a part or sentence it references to in the paper.
M1, Reading 1, Gerber 2020
Prompt: Gerber (2020) provides a way of thinking about hazards governance in practical terms of how communities collectively make decisions over the production of public goods, including efforts at risk reduction and resilience capacity promotion.
- In your view, what is most helpful about Gerber’s (2020) attempt to define and explain the idea of governance?
- According to Gerber (2020), what is critical to understanding how key public goods are produced?
M1: READING 2, TIERNEY 2012
PROMPT:TIERNEY (2012) OFFERS A COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE KNOWLEDGE BASE ON DISASTER GOVERNANCE IN 2012.
- How does Tierney (2012) define governance in the context of hazards and disasters?
- How do scale, networks, and capabilities affect disaster governance and governance regimes according to Tierney (2012)?
- Would you say that Tierney (2012) is are over-stating or under-stating the challenges for governing disasters and risk reduction?
M1, READING 3, AHRENS AND RUDOLPH 2006
Prompt: While Tierney (2012) offers a fairly neutral assessment, Ahrens and Rudolph (2006) discuss governance in a less flattering light: they argue that poor institutional arrangements and poor governance lead to ineffective risk reduction and poor disaster management.
- How do you assess the Ahrens and Rudolph argument – including how they think bad governance can be overcome?
- Would you say they are over-stating or under-stating the challenges for governing disasters and risk reduction?
- Does what Tierney (2012) have to say about hazards governance suggest the Ahrens and Rudolph (2006) argument is fairly accurate or inaccurate — and why?
M1, READING 4, FEMA 2019
Prompt: FEMA (2019) argues that preparedness for disasters or other key disruptions is fundamentally a local matter — and needs to occur from the “bottom up” as opposed to the “top down.”
- Why is this report is making this claim?
- How can building a culture of preparedness in a community be understood as a governance issue?
- Do you think the idea that “culture brokers” might help produce greater preparedness and better hazards management in communities is a plausible one?
M1, READING 5, CRS 2020
Prompt: CRS (2020) provides an overview of federalism, federal disaster declarations, and federal and non-federal disaster assistance. Many students in this course have direct experience in first response, emergency management, military service, or other experiences relevant to thinking about disaster management in the U.S. As you read thorough this overview or “primer” document, please comment on
- What do you see as strengths or weaknesses in federal or state processes in terms of how well the Stafford Act facilitates effective response or recovery?
- How effective is the collaboration between non-governmental actors with federal or state or local government agencies in response and recovery?
- Do you think disaster assistance programs work well in practice?
