Crisis Management from a Relational Perspective: Comparing Crisis Networks

• In Event: International Political Networks: Elites, Institutions, Diplomacy, & Crises

Abstract

The increasing interdependence that characterizes international relations in the 21st century has resulted in an expansion in the number and types of actors involved in transboundary crisis management: while a growing number of papers are paying attention to this under-researched phenomenon, our understanding of the changing dynamics governing transboundary crisis responses remains limited. This paper addresses this literature gap by advancing towards a conceptualization of interorganizational transboundary crisis networks. To do so, it explores whether these structures show common structural characteristics and whether (and which) specific structural characteristics tend to be present in effective networks of this kind. In particular, it applies Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGMs) to the networks involved in the 2010 Icelandic ash cloud crisis, the 2013-2016 Ebola Virus Disease outbreak, and the 2019 Cyclones Idai and Kenneth. Results show that interorganizational transboundary crisis networks combine elements of issue networks and policy communities. Common structural patterns include moderate density and centralization scores, as well as the popularity of international organizations. Preferential attachment as well as frequent reporting from NGOs to international organizations also appear to be behind effective crisis management. In contrast, homophily and connectivity do not seem to be linked to network effectiveness.

Author

• Carlos Bravo-Laguna, Hebrew University of Jerusalem