Collaboration Fund

Across the globe, civil protection has emerged as a significant policy concern in recent years driven by issues such as terrorism, flooding and pandemic flu. Within the UK focusing events like 7/7, the floods of 2007 and latterly swine flu have tested existing structures of preparedness at the national and local level. This has called into question the adequacy of the current state of UK preparedness for extreme events, not least in terms of the critical national infrastructure. The Civil Contingencies Act of 2004 created new frameworks for responding to major events reflecting a policy agenda underpinned by the concept of ‘resilience’. This approach also explicitly brings together public and private sector stakeholders in preparing for disaster. Resilience was again seen as a key underpinning factor for reducing the risk and impact of flooding in the Pitt Review of 2007. Beyond considering whether the current resilience agenda is effective in mitigating the impact of large risk, the concept of resilience itself raises important questions regarding the nature of risk in late modernity as well as the governance of risk in an age of uncertainty.

Aims

(1)  Establish a cross-disciplinary White Rose network on Risk, Resilience and Governance

(2)  Develop national and international linkages in this area with (i) academics engaged in related research (ii) stakeholders engaged in policy development (ii) stakeholders involved in the implementation of related policy

(3)  Utilise the network established to develop applications for funding from external sources.

Proposed activities

(1)  Inaugural planning meeting of the White Rose partners to discuss project strategy

(2)  International workshop (2 days) in March/April 2010 on Risk, Resilience and Governance

(3)  Post workshop meeting to review outcomes and outputs of the workshop and plan funding application

(4)  Final White Rose partners meeting to progress funding application

Planned outputs

(1)  A network of national and international academics with strong links to related practitioner communities

(2)  A report from the international workshop and a special issue in an appropriate journal /edited collection

(3)  A grant application to an external funding body, such as the ESRC