Addressing Public Risks: Federal Earthquake Policy Design

In: Journal of policy analysis and management: the journal of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, Band 10, Heft 2, S. 263-285

Abstract

The design of federal earthquake policy is examined to illustrate the difficulties of addressing public risks when public indifference, despite general awareness of risks, is the norm. Federal earthquake policy attempts to overcome indifference through strategies aimed at building local governmental commitment to risk reduction & improving nonfederal capacity to implement risk reduction programs. Because of the fundamental difficulties in influencing actions among less capable & willing jurisdictions, federal efforts have resulted in disjunctive impacts among seismic prone regions. The preferred approach for overcoming these gaps entails a mix of federally backed earthquake insurance coupled with development of local regularity standards. More generally, strategies for addressing public risks entail modification of the policy tools for addressing such private risks as crime & job-related accidents. The changes involve mechanisms that shift the task of addressing the risks from individual to shared responsibility. 2 Tables, 50 References. Adapted from the source document.