Stability or instability in crisis policymaking? From the emergency management perspective to the robustness perspective

Purpose
This paper examines how incident management systems (IMS) were adapted during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to enable rapid and effective emergency responses, focusing on three processes of adaptation in Denmark, Italy and Spain.
Design/methodology/approach
The study analyses changes made to established bottom-up IMS in three countries with different contextual conditions. Data were collected through document analysis and interviews with officials involved in the emergency responses.
Findings
In all three cases, the IMS underwent substantial innovations and adaptations to address operational challenges. Neither did the IMS remain bottom-up, nor did they fully re-centralize. Instead, they underwent adaptive instability, mixing bottom-up and top-down in response to contingencies. Emergency managers relied on practical knowledge and feedback loops to guide changes in the absence of prescriptive plans.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation of this research is its focus on only three cases. In order to increase the generalizability of the findings, other comparative analyses are needed.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that emergency planners and managers should focus on developing adaptive capacities and pragmatic decision-making skills rather than solely relying on detailed pre-existing plans and fixed governance structures.
Social implications
The main social implication of these research findings is that robustness will require more and more flexibility, adaptability and prompt innovations in case of crises and disasters, not only to policymakers and public managers but also with civil society actors who will collaborate and coordinate with public institutions.
Originality/value
The research provides empirical evidence supporting the “robustness perspective” on emergency management, which emphasizes flexibility and innovation in governance systems over stability and predictability. It demonstrates how pragmatic approaches enabled effective responses to a turbulent crisis.