Title: Risk regulation strategies in public emergency management – a learning perspective

Authors: Siri Wiig

Addresses: Department of Media, Culture and Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Stavanger, N-4036 Stavanger, Norway

Abstract: The aim of this study is to explore how risk regulation strategies in the public sector contribute to learning within emergency management. Strategies applied by the regulator entail diverse activities involving interaction and communication between regulator and regulatee. The paper explores learning aspects related to these activities. The paper is based on a multiple case study within the Norwegian public sector including six municipalities and their regulatory authority, responsible for regulating and inspecting municipal emergency management. The results showed that risk regulation through compliance strategies implied second-order learning processes within those regulated. Risk regulation through deterrence strategies contributed to compliance with regulatory demands, but only implied first-order learning process.

Keywords: emergency management; risk regulation; compliance strategies; deterrence strategies; learning processes; experience transfer; public sector; Norway.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEM.2007.015731

International Journal of Emergency Management, 2007 Vol.4 No.4, pp.584 - 599

Published online: 11 Nov 2007 *

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