Abstract
ABSTRACTThe impacts of extreme weather events, causing severe storms and wildfires, cascade across administrative borders within a country, challenging the steering capacity of governance networks at different political scales. This paper examines how accountability and risk were constructed and negotiated in the aftermath of Sweden’s largest wildfire. It draws on results from an interview study with executives of organizations and landowners involved, and an analysis of government reports about the wildfire’s cause and consequences. Although the fire was human-caused, public administrative bodies paid considerable attention to the local emergency services and their poor handling of the wildfire, caused by lack of knowledge of forest fire behavior. The study confirms many of the challenges associated with governance networks. It finds that issues about who to hold accountable, in what forum and for what issue are not fully addressed, being overwhelmed by demands for better knowledge of forest fire prevention and improved coordination and collaboration. To conclude, the paper calls for a better-informed public administration, forest sector and interrelated networks that take responsibility for their actions or lack thereof.
Highlights
During the last couple of decades, there has been a gradual shift in the perceptions of public administration, from believing that we can ‘control’ nature to a focus on complex systems embedded in societal and natural contexts in which we must manage, accommodate and adjust to a changing environment (Duit & Galaz, 2008)
Improved risk evaluation and disaster management are essential for making society less vulnerable and more sustainable, it is often more politically expedient to respond after a disaster when constituents are demanding assistance or accountability (Cutter et al, 2015)
We present the results in two broad categories: (1) cause, responsibility and accountability, and (2) risk perception and forest fire prevention
Summary
During the last couple of decades, there has been a gradual shift in the perceptions of public administration, from believing that we can ‘control’ nature to a focus on complex systems embedded in societal and natural contexts in which we must manage, accommodate and adjust to a changing environment (Duit & Galaz, 2008). Climate change will probably amplify this challenge since extreme weather is expected to be more frequent, with severe implications for society (Calkin et al, 2014; McCaffrey et al, 2013; Stephens et al, 2013). This is not least the case for wildfires, where climate change is a key driver of escalation (Abatzoglou & Williams, 2016; Harvey, 2016; Moritz et al, 2014; Stephens et al, 2013). Recent research has called for approaches to strengthen risk governance to manage risks across all sectors in society, focusing on the root causes of disasters and probable emergent risks, supporting action by local communities, authorities and
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