American Political Science Association (APSA)
Disasters and Crises Working Group
The Disasters and Crises Related Group (DCRG) brings together scholars from a broad variety of subfields within political science along with researchers from outside the discipline to foster collaboration and diffusion of ideas on disasters, mass casualty events, and crises. We have seen a great deal of research which underscores that, despite the best of efforts, much of the international and domestic aid provided to survivors of disasters is not distributed proportionally based on factors such as damage. Instead, countries that have a strong connection or interest in another country are regular contributors to aid, and often those victims with strong political connections may find themselves receiving aid before others. Further, the government’s response itself is often influenced by politics — past studies have shown how disaster declarations and the amount of aid given vary with election years and party regimes. Politics has also undermined our ability to prepare and ready for disaster. Studies have identified a number of disincentives to disaster preparedness, including electoral concerns and a fairly pervasive, cultural aversion toward making long term public sector investments. Politicians need to deliver tangible goods and services to their constituents every election cycle. Unfortunately, because preparedness effectively aims to ready for events that have yet to occur, it’s often difficult to sell these types of programs to constituents, despite the fact that these types of policies can save both live and money. Indeed, scholars have shown elected officials receive a higher vote share for disaster relief than preparedness spending. In short, politics and disasters are intertwined.
Several of our members work regularly with non governmental organizations (NGOs) and local and national governments around the world to fine tune disaster preparedness and mitigation policies. Others have set out to link their research and pedagogy to applied policy discussions. For example, DeLeo’s students assisted a state public health department in devising a workplace influenza vaccination program. Beyond direct consulting and pro bono work with organizations, such as the Institute of Medicine, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, FEMA, and the Red Cross, the group can offer useful insights into how individuals and organizations organize themselves and respond to crisis. Lessons derived from the group’s research can provide useful insights into disaster preparedness and mitigation policy.
Several of our members work regularly with non governmental organizations (NGOs) and local and national governments around the world to fine tune disaster preparedness and mitigation policies. Others have set out to link their research and pedagogy to applied policy discussions. For example, DeLeo’s students assisted a state public health department in devising a workplace influenza vaccination program. Beyond direct consulting and pro bono work with organizations, such as the Institute of Medicine, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, FEMA, and the Red Cross, the group can offer useful insights into how individuals and organizations organize themselves and respond to crisis. Lessons derived from the group’s research can provide useful insights into disaster preparedness and mitigation policy.