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Homeland Security and Public RisksWith funding from the National Science Foundation's Human-Systems Dynamics Program, Center researchers are collaborating with researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in studying different aspects of policy disruption as it relates to the threat of terrorism and other extreme events. One line of research concerns the shifting policymaking dynamics over the past three decades for subsystems that address preparedness for and response to public risks surrounding disasters, terrorism, and other extreme events. A second line of research examines attention shifts within federal agencies in their efforts to grapple with the threat of terrorism. Earthquakes and other natural hazards present challenges for public policymaking stemming from the fact that such hazards are not noteworthy issues for policy debate in the absence of major events. A variety of projects have been conducted by Center researchers that address how this political environment affects efforts to reshape the design and implementation of policies for addressing earthquakes, hurricanes, and other extreme events. This research area has engendered new ways of thinking about bureaucracy and policy processes. Prior research on agendas of public bureaucracies has focused on budgetary outputs and enforcement actions. We provide a different perspective in studying the substance of agency agendas. Prior research on policy agendas has emphasized disruptions within single policy areas. We provide a different perspective in studying policy disruption across a number of different policy areas.
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© 2004 Center for American Politics & Public Policy, University of Washington |