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Policy innovation in earthquake preparedness: a longitudinal study of three states

Lambright, W. Henry

The American Political Science Association, Washington D.C., Prepared for delivery at the 1982 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Denver, CO, Sept. 2-5, 1982, 1982, pdf (760/L25/1982)

This paper deals with decision making at the state level with regard to seismic safety for California, South Carolina, and Nevada. The process of policy innovation has four major stages, with many substages. It can flow smoothly or be stopped at virtually any point. The four stages are agenda setting, adoption, implementation, and incorporation. The paper concludes that government needs better assessment capability so that it can sort out, as systematically as possible, acceptable from unacceptable risks. Too much decision making takes place in an absence of comprehensive knowledge about relative risks and hazards.

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