Coping with Value Conflict and Institutional Complexity: International Conference on National Crisis Management in an International Perspective (Hässelby Conference)

Editor: Lindy Newlove (1999)

Interest in crisis management has often been limited and based on the belief that crises will not happen here and that one cannot plan for the unexpected. Crises do not stop at national borders and they do not limit themselves to certain sectors of society. Crises involve many actors, serious threats, time pressure and great uncertainty. Recent crises have shown the need for improved transnational co-ordination of preventive measures, response activities and follow up steps. The Swedish Agency for Civil Emergency Planning, ÖCB, launched a research project aimed at increasing the knowledge base necessary for handling emergencies in Sweden as well as in the Baltic sea region in 1997. In this project Swedish and foreign researchers and analysts will be stimulated to do research in the crisis management area. The over all purpose of the project is to produce new knowledge and to create better conditions for crisis management and emergency planning in the states surrounding the Baltic Sea.