Defining a network model for the non-profit disaster sector: The case of National VOAD

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Date
2014-08-20
Authors
Wieland, Adrian M.
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Abstract
In recent years, much study has been done with regard to the failings of federal, state and local governments in disaster management and in determining the best methods in resolving those failings with regard to not only the government actors, but also their relationship to community and nongovernmental partners and contracted agents. Little of this discourse considers or explores that similar issues might exist amongst the non-governmental agencies themselves, examining them only as peripheral or contract players in a government-centric network. While there is certainly validity to this point of view, non-governmental actors in disaster response are highly organized, large and complex entities with vast reaches and have proven to be instrumental in addressing preparedness education, mitigation and planning, and disaster response and recovery needs. The strengths and weaknesses of non-profit networks and the sometimes dysfunctional relationships between their various affiliations and partnerships is an equally worthy topic for inquiry and is integral to fully understanding the dynamics of and improving the efficacy of emergency management efforts in the United States. Further, through an understanding of the existing structural framework of National Voluntary Organizations Against Disaster (NVOAD), a descriptive model will emerge that will shed some light on areas for future research and provide a point from which similar non-profit networks can be examined.
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Emergency management -- United States
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