Handbook of Disaster and Emergency Policies and Institutions

By Professors John Handmer and Stephen Dovers

Order the New disaster policy book: Order form (PDF, 720kb)

"Handbook of disaster and emergency policies and institutions" just published by Earthscan, written by Professors John Handmer (RMIT University and Adjunct at The Fenner School) and Stephen Dovers (Fenner School). As climate change threatens and major hurricane and tsunami events expose the strengths and weaknesses of current response capacities, this book focuses not on the nuts-and-bolts of emergency management, but on the crucial and often overlooked institutional and strategic policy framework within which society responds to major disruptions. Advance praise for the book includes:

"In this timely and insightful book, Handmer and Dovers develop a systematic understanding of the policy processes and settings needed to set the foundations for success when hazards threaten. It will be highly appreciated by policy makers and practitioners in rich and poor countries alike" Reid Basher, Coordinator, UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.

"I wish this book has been available when I was head of Australia's federal emergency management agency" Alan Hodges AM.

"Too much emergency response to disasters has the hallmarks of panic or the deployment of immediate tactics without a strategic vision. This book is a significant contribution to seeking to correct this tendency" Prof Edmund Penning-Rowsell, Middlesex University.

"This book is a must-read for anyone who hopes to understand and influence emergency policy" Paul Gabriel, Manager, Emergency Management Policy, Victoria.

Further information: Professor Stephen Dovers