This dissertation is about accountability in decision-making processes for routine and non-routine settings. The study identifies two research problems linked to each other. The first research problem is the disconnect in the public administration’s literature of the micro (individual) and macro (societal) levels of accountability (Dubnick, 2014) and the conceptualization of accountability primarily for routine contexts. The second research problem is a practical problem related to the individual experience of being accountable for the adoption of unfamiliar hazard mitigation measures in natural hazard mitigation plans.
In this study, accountability refers to the individual experience of “being accountable”, which is different from holding …show more content…
In so doing, the study faces the challenge posed by a field of study – accountability – that is characterized by uncertainty and is undergoing an ontological shift (Dubnick, 2014b). The above-mentioned challenges led the author to join the quest for reform in the study of accountability and to identify a way to operationalize it. The two objectives should not be seen as separate but as part of a common effort of understanding, since the way the surrounding world is defined affects how it is interpreted and acted upon. Thus, in attempting to deal with accountability in natural hazard mitigation planning, the study proposes a means to operationalize accountability and tries to test propositions about accountability in routine and non-routine contexts. The empirical study of accountability in situations perceived as either routine or non-routine attempts to provide actionable knowledge on how to manage accountability and its effects in situations of …show more content…
The preference of the case study method over other methods such as surveys, historical studies, and experiments is dictated by the kind of research questions and by the extent to which the investigator has control over the respondents’ behavior (Yin, 2003). Data collection was carried through primary and secondary data sources. Primary data was collected by means of semi-structured telephone interviews from March to July 2014 with members of the County NHMP steering committee. Secondary data include the NHMP for the State of Oregon, county and city NHMPs, and newspaper articles. Newspaper articles were also considered as a source of general context and attitudes toward the topic through
In this study, accountability refers to the individual experience of “being accountable”, which is different from holding …show more content…
In so doing, the study faces the challenge posed by a field of study – accountability – that is characterized by uncertainty and is undergoing an ontological shift (Dubnick, 2014b). The above-mentioned challenges led the author to join the quest for reform in the study of accountability and to identify a way to operationalize it. The two objectives should not be seen as separate but as part of a common effort of understanding, since the way the surrounding world is defined affects how it is interpreted and acted upon. Thus, in attempting to deal with accountability in natural hazard mitigation planning, the study proposes a means to operationalize accountability and tries to test propositions about accountability in routine and non-routine contexts. The empirical study of accountability in situations perceived as either routine or non-routine attempts to provide actionable knowledge on how to manage accountability and its effects in situations of …show more content…
The preference of the case study method over other methods such as surveys, historical studies, and experiments is dictated by the kind of research questions and by the extent to which the investigator has control over the respondents’ behavior (Yin, 2003). Data collection was carried through primary and secondary data sources. Primary data was collected by means of semi-structured telephone interviews from March to July 2014 with members of the County NHMP steering committee. Secondary data include the NHMP for the State of Oregon, county and city NHMPs, and newspaper articles. Newspaper articles were also considered as a source of general context and attitudes toward the topic through