Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management最新文献

Citizen preparedness has gained increasing prominence on political agendas in recent years, signalling a growing emphasis on individual responsibility within emergency management. Research has shown that contemporary preparedness policies typically frame this responsibility as an active state of awareness and readiness. In Scandinavia, national authorities have sought to promote such awareness through targeted communication campaigns. In 2024, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark distributed nationwide information leaflets recommending concrete preparedness measures. This article uses these leaflets to illustrate the prevailing preparedness paradigm and critically assesses its strengths and limitations. Drawing on existing research that conceptualises preparedness as embedded in social practices, the article argues for a shift in policy approach. Social practice theory views human behaviour not as a series of isolated decisions informed by available information but as routinised performances shaped by socially shared practices. From this perspective, enhancing citizen preparedness requires recognising the everyday contexts in which people manage risks. The article discusses the policy implications of applying a practice-theoretical lens to citizen preparedness. It concludes that this reframing offers a foundation for more effective and socially attuned policies to strengthen citizen preparedness.

The increasing risk of radiological and nuclear emergencies poses a threat to all nations, including India, with its 22 nuclear reactors across 8 power plants. The Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), has been tasked with developing medical countermeasures like drugs, devices, and therapies to address such emergencies. In collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) project, INMAS has developed Prussian blue (PB) formulations—an established antidote for radioactive Cesium (Cs) and Thallium (Tl). Following optimization and extensive invitro and invivo evaluations, the formulations were scaled up for industrial production. Approved by Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO)/Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), Pru-Decorp™, and Pru-Decorp-MG are now commercially available in India, with Pru-Decorp™ marking India's self-reliance and Pru-Decorp-MG™ protected by patent as an innovative INMAS product. The development of Pru-Decorp™ and Pru-Decorp-MG aligns with global standards, as PB is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a critical medicine for radiological and nuclear emergencies. These formulations underwent stringent regulatory reviews, ensuring their efficacy and safety for removing internal contamination by radioactive Cs and Tl. Their availability not only strengthens India's medical preparedness but also sets a benchmark for indigenous solutions in the field of radiological emergency management.

Self-responsibility perception (SRP) is a key yet under-researched psychological antecedence influencing citizens' disaster preparedness behaviours. Existing studies primarily examined SRP from a static perspective, overlooking its dynamic and multi-dimensional nature. This study focused on the two dimensions of SRP, namely self-responsibility acceptance and self-responsibility attribution. It investigated how emerging environmental cues in disaster warning stage influence individuals' SRP, including the government responsibility frame, social norms, and autonomy support. A factorial-designed online experiment was conducted with 647 subjects. Pre- and post-SRP comparison revealed that: (1) government responsibility frame significantly shifted responsibility attribution from individuals towards governments, with no significant effect on self-responsibility acceptance; (2) positive norms were more effective than negative norms in prompting self-responsibility acceptance, while has no significant effect on self-responsibility attribution; (3) compared to low autonomy-support conditions, high autonomy support from communities significantly increased both self-responsibility attribution and self-responsibility acceptance. The research showed that responsibility attribution of disaster preparedness can be influenced by the frame in warning messages, while acceptance of responsibility can only be enhanced by autonomy support and social norms. Practical and theoretical implications for understanding and nudging the development of SRP for disaster preparedness were discussed.

We investigate the nature of team members' relationship with their leader, team dynamics, and outcomes during a continuous organisational crisis in a healthcare setting. Leaders (n = 24) and team members (n = 150) completed matched surveys at three hospitals. Individuals who felt they had a stronger relationship with their leader than their teammates (i.e., higher on leader membership exchange (LMX) than their team average), performed better, were less likely to want to leave their job, and were more confident in their team's ability to succeed (i.e., higher team potency). Teams higher on LMX reported fewer turnover intentions, and were more creative. Both individuals' and team's core self-evaluations (CSE) were linked to positive outcomes, including higher team potency amongst teams with higher CSE. For weak leaders (i.e., team-rated low LMX or perceived expertise), individuals' positive CSE were associated with better performance. Implications and future research directions for crisis management are provided.

Automobile recalls for environmental defects (ARED) are proposed as an environmental policy in China to address automobile emission pollution by repairing environmental defects. Given the critical role of consumer engagement in achieving a high rate of recall completion, understanding consumer behavioural responses to ARED becomes paramount for policy efficacy. This study constructs a theoretical framework by integrating the Protective Action Decision Model (PADM) and the Norm Activation Model (NAM) to elucidate the psychological decision-making mechanisms underlying consumer participation in ARED. This study also incorporates self-efficacy as a moderating variable to examine differences in consumers' behavioural responses between high and low self-efficacy groups. Using 1080 survey responses in China, structural equation models were employed to quantify the impacts of the proposed determinants on consumers' participation intention. The main results shows that personal norms, awareness of consequences, ascription of responsibility, and automobile emission knowledge significantly enhance consumers' participation intention. Personal norms are shaped by awareness of consequences, while both awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibility are influenced by risk perception and automobile emission knowledge. Moreover, the multi-group path analysis reveals that these relationships vary across different levels of self-efficacy. This study advances the theoretical understanding of consumers' participation intention, and offers valuable insights for regulators and firms in optimising recall communication and implementation strategies.

The aim of this study is to compare the services provided after three major earthquakes in Türkiye (Gölcük, Van, Elazığ) to examine in depth from the perspective of earthquakes and to present policy recommendations. The phenomenological design was adopted in the study. The study was conducted with 30 people who experienced the earthquakes between 07.04.2021 and 14.06.2021. In the study, theft and looting were the most frequently coded common features in the Gölcük and Van earthquakes. One of the most frequently coded common features in the Van and Elazığ earthquakes was that nothing was done about CBRN. In both earthquakes, it was found that the telephone outage that occurred after the earthquake was commonly coded. It was observed that there were problems in terms of information, guidance and awareness of assembly areas. It was evaluated that there were traffic problems after the earthquakes. While the lack of psychosocial support services was mentioned in the Gölcük earthquake, it was evaluated that the provision of psychosocial support services began to become evident in the subsequent earthquakes. It was determined that the number of teams and personnel in the search and rescue efforts in the Gölcük earthquake were insufficient. It was evaluated that training and drill activities have an important place in minimizing the problems experienced after earthquakes. It is seen that no radical work has been done to protect domestic or street animals after the earthquakes. As a result, it is recommended that disaster plans be prepared comprehensively, psychosocial support services be developed, training and drill activities be emphasized, critical facilities be strengthened, the infrastructure system be prepared for disasters, the communication system be strengthened, and security procedures be implemented effectively, using the lessons learned from the earthquakes.

While warning fatigue is commonly described among emergency management practitioners as a problem due to over-alerting, which leads to opting out, there has been limited research to define these concepts in a systematic manner that can inform policymaking around public alerting strategies, especially as they relate to Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). In this study, we draw from semi-structured interviews with emergency managers and open-ended responses from surveys with emergency managers and members of the public, to develop definitions of ‘over-alerting’ and ‘warning fatigue’ and to identify the conditions that cause the public to ‘opt out’ of WEA messages. We conduct thematic content analyses to identify the dimensions of each concept, showing how they are represented by a variety of factors. We find that the antecedents to warning fatigue include alert frequency, relevancy and message content; symptoms of warning fatigue comprise mental strain, emotional and physiological stress and evaluative fatigue; the consequences of warning fatigue are threefold, including desensitization, complaining and opting out. By identifying the dimensions and factors that comprise warning fatigue, it becomes possible to determine what the true drivers are that affect decisions to turn off or tune out emergency alerts.