Models of Risk, Crisis and Disaster

Module code: MN7635

This module describes the likely orientations of seven potential participants to a situation of risk assessment, crisis or disaster management - from the necessary dispassion and objectivity of central government departments, to the committed agendas of environmentalists engaged in a public debate over an airport expansion programme, to the reaction of victims' relatives toward the handling of an aircraft investigation. The module illustrates how disasters may act as 'heuristics', enabling 'at-risk' communities to come to a better understanding of their own imperilled situation, and shows the multi-dimensional character of disasters.

Topics covered

• Disasters as Heuristics
• The Role of Central Government
• Hazard construction
• National Emergency Management
• Economics of Disasters