Representative Bureaucracy in Emergency Management: Attitudes About Contemporary Emergency Management Policy and Politics in Local Agencies

Abstract

Abstract This article expounds upon the experiences of local emergency management professionals to determine if there is a pattern in the attitudes that these managers exhibit regarding the centralization of policy and operational control during the George W. Bush and Obama administrations. Responses to a 2016 survey described beneficial and detracting features of the federal requirements, which affected the department's ability to meet their jurisdiction's demands. This article describes these attitudes and determines whether jurisdictions that were favorable to or against policy changes made during Obama's administration represent jurisdictions that voted Democratic or Republican in the five previous presidential elections. Doing so tests the theory of "representative bureaucracy", which suggests local bureaucrats will represent their constituents' background and beliefs in their actions or attitudes. The findings suggest that elements of "representative bureaucracy" exist, but also that disappointment over the actions taken by both administrations persist.