Role of States in Earthquake and Natural Hazard Innovation at the Local Level: A Decision-Making Study

摘要

A study undertaken to investigate the process of policy innovation in earthquake preparedness is reported. The process of earthquake policy innovation is considered in three policy settings. South Carolina and Nevada are emergent settings, where there are seismic threats but the level of policy concern is low; activity and innovation reflect this fact. A case of earthquake policymaking in Japan is used to illustrate the dynamics of the process of earthquake innovation in an advanced setting, where the threat is well established and so is the policy framework for coping with that threat. California is discussed as an intermediate policy setting. The origins of the Southern California Earthquake Preparedness Project (SCEPP) are traced, and program implementation is discussed. Reasons for SCEPP's success are suggested, and its future activities are delineated.