Abstract | In this paper, we look beyond Australian
fire and emergency management to
compare ways that responsibility-sharing
– broadly conceived – has occurred
in other places and sectors where
risks to community safety are faced.
Responsibility-sharing occurs any time
there is collective action, and formal
and informal institutions provide the
“rules of the game” that prescribe how
responsibility should be shared amongst
the parties involved. We reviewed a broad
sample of risk research literature in
order to examine by what mechanisms
responsibility-sharing institutions
have been shaped in other places and
sectors where risks to community safety
are faced. Our review revealed more
alternatives for shaping responsibilitysharing
institutions than are widely
considered by policy and decision
makers in Australian fire and emergency
management. It therefore raises an
important question about why certain
mechanisms are chosen, prioritised,
overlooked or resisted in this sector.
An alternative way of conceiving and
pursuing shared responsibility is
also discussed. |