Disaster response networks and perceived performance: the case of the 2014 Kaohsiung Gas Explosion

The network governance model has been advocated as a means to address contemporary public management challenges (O’Toole 1997; Goldsmith & Eggers 2004; Agranoff 2006). Due to the limitation of traditional bureaucratic... [ view full abstract ]

The network governance model has been advocated as a means to address contemporary public management challenges (O’Toole 1997; Goldsmith & Eggers 2004; Agranoff 2006). Due to the limitation of traditional bureaucratic governance models, and the need to engage external resources, government agencies increasingly engage and coordinate with actors from diverse institutional backgrounds (Koppenjan & Klijn 2004). For example, emergency and disaster response has long been recognized as one of the contexts in which collective action across departments, jurisdictions and sectors is necessary (Comfort 2002; Comfort 2007; Drabek & McEntire 2002; Kapucu 2005). Disaster events not only activate the government agencies at the national and local levels, but they also trigger the voluntary engagement of a variety of social groups. Researchers have adopted social network approaches to study disaster response systems, which are considered networked structures composed of interconnected agents (Butts, Acton & Marcum 2012; Comfort & Haase 2006). The literature indicates that well-coordinated governance networks have improved public services capacities, which is brought about through their ability to make effective use of information and scarce resources (Alter & Hage 1993; Brass et al. 2004; Huxham & Vangen 2005). While there is research about how the coordination of interactions among response actors associate with network performance (Moynihan 2009), the perceptions of those who receive services from these public service networks is seldom discussed (Provan & Milward 2001).

On August 1st 2014, a leak and ignition of propylene gas in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan triggered a massive explosion that led to 32 deaths and 321 injuries. This event also caused damage to lifeline systems and residential buildings, impacting a total of 32,968 households and 83,819 people. Government agencies at the national and local level, as well as nonprofit organizations and private companies, engaged in a collective response to this event. Using the inter-organizational response network that formed after the 2014 Kaohsiung gas explosion as a case study, this paper investigates two research questions. First, what is the organizational composition and network structure of the inter-organizational response network that formed after the explosion? Second, what do those who were impacted by the explosion perceive the performance of the inter-organizational response network?

To answer these questions, this paper will identify the actors and the structure of the response network through a content analysis of newspaper articles and situation reports, and a questionnaire survey with the organizational actors that engaged in the response activities. Traditional social networks measures will be used to analyze the structure of the response network (Wasserman & Faust, 1994). The paper will also conduct interviews with the impacted people of the gas explosion in order to understand how individuals perceived the performance of the network. This research will address a gap in the literature by exploring the linkages between the structure of a public service network and the perceived performance of the clients of a public service network in the context of disaster emergency response.