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An exercise in disaster: Does policy learning occur after a tabletop crisis scenario?

An exercise in disaster: Does policy learning occur after a tabletop crisis scenario? It is well‐established that experience with a disaster can heighten risk perception, initiate policy learning, and ultimately enhance preparedness and mitigation. This experience can make stakeholders more amenable to mitigating risk, but disasters are sporadic, dangerous, and costly. At the same time, the importance of differences in epistemic communities that manage public agencies and departments has received little attention in the context of policy learning, preparedness, and mitigation. This study investigates whether it is possible for simulated disasters, such as tabletop exercises, to influence risk perception and encourage learning in a way that is consistent with the effects of experiencing an actual disaster. To test this idea, we analyze survey data collected from an Environmental Protection Agency workshop of drinking water officials and public health stakeholders from southeast Michigan and northwest Ohio, including Detroit, Flint, and Toledo. A pre and posttest survey captured participants' beliefs before and after a tabletop exercise designed to simulate a large‐scale drinking water disaster. Results suggest that epistemic communities matter in these exercises but professional experience is less important than what previous studies have shown about experience with a policy problem and policy learning. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Risk Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy Wiley

An exercise in disaster: Does policy learning occur after a tabletop crisis scenario?

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References (47)

Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
© 2023 Policy Studies Organization.
eISSN
1944-4079
DOI
10.1002/rhc3.12256
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

It is well‐established that experience with a disaster can heighten risk perception, initiate policy learning, and ultimately enhance preparedness and mitigation. This experience can make stakeholders more amenable to mitigating risk, but disasters are sporadic, dangerous, and costly. At the same time, the importance of differences in epistemic communities that manage public agencies and departments has received little attention in the context of policy learning, preparedness, and mitigation. This study investigates whether it is possible for simulated disasters, such as tabletop exercises, to influence risk perception and encourage learning in a way that is consistent with the effects of experiencing an actual disaster. To test this idea, we analyze survey data collected from an Environmental Protection Agency workshop of drinking water officials and public health stakeholders from southeast Michigan and northwest Ohio, including Detroit, Flint, and Toledo. A pre and posttest survey captured participants' beliefs before and after a tabletop exercise designed to simulate a large‐scale drinking water disaster. Results suggest that epistemic communities matter in these exercises but professional experience is less important than what previous studies have shown about experience with a policy problem and policy learning.

Journal

Risk Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy – Wiley

Published: Jun 1, 2023

Keywords: crises; disasters; drinking water; policy learning; risk; tabletop exercise; 政策学习; 认识共同体; 饮用水; aprendizaje de políticas; Comunidades Epistémicas; Agua potable

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