Understanding local crisis management in complex organisational settings : The case of the migration crisis in Germany 2015/16

Abstract

This paper offers a first conceptual step towards measuring what effect variation of administrative action in crisis management has on societal resilience during times of crisis. Building on previous work, we see the ability of administrations to moderate the (perceived) legitimacy of their actions in crisis management as the main mechanism for such an effect. Local administrations can enhance legitimacy a) if they create conditions for the participation of organized forms of civic engagement in crisis management, and b) if they manage the crisis effectively. The concept of “organizational hybridity” is introduced to propose four possible styles of administrative crisis management: Street-level bureaucracy; leadership-based administration; consultative administration; and classic-bureaucratic administration. The paper briefly discusses how this concept could be applied in the context of the German “migration crisis” of 2015/16.