Information technology systems as both contributor to risk perception and adaptive behavior: Public transit agencies' response to extreme weather events

Abstract

This paper aims to better understand how information strategies matter for the management of extreme weather events in public transit agencies. It examines how past extreme weather events and the availability of information on extreme weather impacts influence risk-related cognitions, which influence planning for future extreme events and eventually lead to investment in Information Technology (IT) systems as a protective measure. The theoretical framework integrates prior work on perceived risk, protection motivation theory (PMT), and theory of planned behavior (TPB) to develop hypotheses, which are tested using structural equation modeling with data from national surveys of transit agencies conducted at two points in time, 2019 and 2023, merged with other institutional data. The paper demonstrates how access to critical information about the impacts of past extreme weather events influences threat and coping appraisal, planning, and future investment in information technology systems. Findings show support that organization experience with extreme weather, risk perception and capacity are associated with more extensive planning for extreme weather in 2019, and that greater emphasis on planning leads to more investment in IT systems in 2023. The paper contributes to the broader discourse on the role of information and planning in strengthening organizational preparedness and adaptive capacity in the face of increasing climate challenges.