University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2013 Examining Multi-level And Inter-organizational Collaborative Response To Disasters: The Case Of Pakistan Floods In 2010 Sana Khosa University of Central Florida Part of the Public Administration Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Khosa, Sana, "Examining Multi-level And Inter-organizational Collaborative Response To Disasters: The Case Of Pakistan Floods In 2010" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 2890. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/2890 EXAMINING MULTI-LEVEL AND INTER-ORGANIZATIONAL COLLABORATIVE RESPONSE TO DISASTERS: THE CASE OF PAKISTAN FLOODS IN 2010 by SANA KHOSA B.Sc. (Hons.) Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan, 2005 M.P.A. University of Central Florida, 2010 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Health and Public Affairs at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Fall Term 2013 Major Professor: Naim Kapucu © 2013 Sana Khosa ii ABSTRACT Catastrophic disasters are different than routine disasters and managing them requires the mobilization of inter-organizational, inter-governmental, cross-sectoral and international humanitarian support. The role of the international community through International Non- governmental Organizations (INGOs), and multi-lateral organizations such as the United Nations (UN) becomes imperative when the scale of the disaster is unprecedented and difficult for a country to manage on its own. The initial response and relief phase of managing disasters is one in which many agencies with different expertise, capacities, working mandates, resources, skills, working cultures and norms come together to coordinate and collaborate to provide timely response and relief services. Thus, the terrain of managing catastrophic disasters is complex and requires a deeper study to understand and delineate the factors shaping and facilitating collaborative response and relief efforts. This study examines the multi-level and multi-layered collaborative response networks present at the national-international level, provincial and district/local level of disaster response and interactions. In this research the nature and effectiveness of collaboration is being studied through a relevant case study of a catastrophic natural disaster, the 2010 Pakistan Floods. The phase of immediate response is explored primarily through Network Theory perspectives including supportive theoretical perspectives such as Social Capital, Resource Dependency, and Institutional Collective Action Theory perspectives that help to explain collaborative interactions in disaster response networks. This study explores and describes factors that influence (either facilitate or hinder) collaboration is disaster response networks. iii The key research questions for this study are: What factors facilitate and impede collaborative response to catastrophic disasters at the local, provincial, national and international levels? What are the differences and similarities in response systems at different levels? Additional questions address how leadership support (attributed to government and political leaders and organizations), institutional support (in the form of plans, international appeals of response, and development of relief funds to manage aid), network capacity of different organizations (programmatic and relational), nature of resource dependencies between responding agencies, and structural configurations of response systems impact the collaborative response in disasters. A case study method has been applied in this research. The 2010 Pakistan Floods response network/system is identified through content analysis of various newspapers, situation reports and after-action reports using the Social Network Analysis (SNA) method via UCINET Software 6.1. The actual response network is analyzed and compared with existing national disaster response plans to examine the effectiveness of collaborative response through centrality measures, clique analysis and visual display. This approach is supplemented with semi- structured interviews of key institutional representatives that responded to the 2010 Floods. These organizations and institutions were primarily identified through the networks formulated via SNA. Findings and results from the analysis reflect that the response networks at each level of analysis differ both in structural aspects and also in functional aspects. The nature of the international-national response system is focused on mobilizing donor support and receiving and iv managing aid, both in-kind and cash. Also a major role at the international and national level is to mobilize the UN cluster approach and focus on broader aims of response such as providing shelter and food to affected areas. Some of the factors identified as facilitating collaborative response were leadership of both national and international leaders, and availability of donor support and funds. At the provincial level of analysis, the Chief Minister of Punjab is playing a central and influential role and is partnering closely with the Armed Forces and local district administration. Interviews conducted of provincial level officials help to support the hypotheses concerning leadership support’s influence on collaborative response and also the role of institutional support in the form of creation of plans, and policies that help to mobilize quick funds and resources for relief. At the local level of response, networks are highly influenced by local conditions and local capacities of the district administration. Thus, there are diverse factors impacting each level of collaborative disaster response. All in all, leadership support, institutional support and network structural aspects are important variables that impact the effectiveness of collaborative response. Today policy makers are trying to figure out ways to collaborate successfully across sector boundaries for better and effective service delivery, both in the mundane operational tasks and in uncertain and complex situations such as disasters and catastrophic events. Thus, this research helps in expanding the literature on collaborative public management, collaborative emergency management, and network management. Also the frequency of natural disasters throughout the world demonstrate the need to study and examine factors that contribute to or hinder the effectiveness of inter-organizational response in disasters. v I dedicate this to my Ama & Aba, Mama & Baba, Dadi & Dada, Nano & Nana (my most loving parents and grandparents) Zain, my companion, my best friend and Amsah, the love of my life. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would have never been able to achieve my academic goals if I did not have Dr. Naim Kapucu as my mentor, my academic advisor, and my teacher. He has worked very hard to keep me motivated and has given me immense support and encouragement throughout my graduate studies at the University of Central Florida. Without his guidance and mentorship I would not have been encouraged to start, nor complete, my doctorate. It was because of him that I was introduced to the field of disaster management, and it is because of his mentorship that I grew passionate about this field. My sincerest gratitude also goes out to my dissertation committee members: Dr. Thomas Wan for his guidance on how to apply the most sophisticated quantitative techniques; Dr. Claire Knox for being extremely helpful and encouraging me to improve my qualitative analysis; and Dr. Houman Sadri for his remarkable insights and perspectives on the global and foreign policy issues. I would also like to thank Dr. Mary Ann Feldheim, the Director of the School of Public Administration, for the constant encouragement and positive energy she exudes. I am also going to extend my gratitude to Dr.Qian for the much-needed chit-chats while I was trying to complete my dissertation. I want to acknowledge that Dr. Tom Bryer has also played an important role in developing my interest in network science and collaboration with his insights during his courses. I am extremely thankful to God for blessing me with the most understanding and supportive parents and grandparents. They have always believed in me and encouraged me to strive for the best. I wish my Dadi and Dada (my paternal grandparents) were alive to read this. They were role-models for me and have always supported me in my academic endeavors and vii accomplishments. I am thankful that my Nana and Nano (my maternal grandparents) are alive and will be reading this. I have to thank Sadia, Imran Bhai, Usman, Sadia Sindhu, Haani, Eema, and Kiran for always being there whenever I needed them. They are my most valued support- system. A special thank you goes out to Mama for taking care of Amsah (my daughter) when I was struggling to complete my dissertation, and to Ama and Aba for booking their tickets and going out of the way to support me in my crunch time. A sincere thank you goes to Baba for always telling me I could do it. I want to take this opportunity to thank all my wonderful friends who have made this possible