The last several decades have witnessed a rise in the frequency and severity of extreme events, some with global reach, such as the Great Recession or the COVID-19 pandemic, and others with more localized impact, such as natural disasters associated with climate change, internal military conflicts or terrorist attacks.
This special issue examines to what extent decentralization affects the effective governance of extreme events. The COVID-19 pandemic represents the most recent extreme and highly asymmetrical event, which has come in the aftermath of the less extreme and perhaps less symmetrical event of the Great Recession. This special issue broadens the focus and includes in the analysis other extreme events to explore whether their impact is similar or differs depending on the level and type of decentralization of power and whether policy recommendations to cope with extreme events are particular or universal.
The special issue focuses on two questions from a multidisciplinary approach (Economics, Political Science and Geography): 1) how extreme events such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks or economics crisis affect decentralized governance, and (2) how decentralization is a mediator variable explaining the governance of extreme events.
Papers must be theoretically motivated, globally conscious, and must make use of empirical methods. Submissions 1) centered on countries and contexts outside of the Global North and WEIRD populations (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, & Democratic), 2) focused on several extreme events and not primarily on COVID-19, and 3) firmly rooted in the Regional Studies literature and providing broad regional insights, are especially encouraged. Both papers relying on quantitative analyses and case studies are welcome.
