Skip to main content

Inquiries Following Crises

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Crises, Inquiries and the Politics of Blame

Abstract

Within the blame game literature, appointing an inquiry is often mentioned as a way to deal with blame. Much more, however, can be said about inquiries—hence this chapter. Starting with why inquiries are appointed following a crisis and how they could be used to manage the crisis’ political fallout, the chapter proceeds to address how actors can try to influence the inquiry. So-called catalytic inquiries, however, can be quite independent and influential; publishing reports that cannot be ignored.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Jenkins, S. (2002, 2 April). A tragedy of errors. The Times, Section News, p. 2.

References

  • Boin, A. (2009). The new world of crises and crisis management: Implications for policymaking and research. Review of Policy Research, 26(4), 367–377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boin, A., ’t Hart, P., Stern, E., & Sundelius, B. (2005). The politics of crisis management. Public leadership under pressure. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Boudes, T., & Laroche, H. (2009). Taking off the heat: Narrative sensemaking in post-crisis inquiry reports. Organization Studies, 30(4), 377–396.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bovens, M., ’t Hart, P., & Kuipers, S. (2008). The politics of policy evaluation. In R. E. Goodin, M. Moran, & M. Rein (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of public policy (pp. 319–335). Oxford: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199548453.003.0015.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Brändström, A. (2016). Crisis, accountability and blame management. Strategies and survival of political office-holders (Vol. 44). Stockholm: CRISMART.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brändström, A., & Kuipers, S. (2003). From ‘normal incidents’ to political crises: Understanding the selective politicization of policy failures. Government and Opposition, 38(3), 279–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, A. D. (2000). Making sense of inquiry sensemaking. Journal of Management Studies, 37(1), 45–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, A. D. (2003). Authoritative sensemaking in a public inquiry report. Organization Studies, 25(1), 95–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, A. D. (2005). Making sense of the collapse of Barings Bank. Human Relations, 58(12), 1579–1604.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bulmer, M. (1983). Introduction. Commissions as instruments for policy research. American Behavioral Scientist, 26(5), 559–567.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cartwright, T. J. (1975). Royal commissions and departmental committees in Britain. A case-study in institutional adaptiveness and public participation in government. London: Hodder and Stoughton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chapman, R. A. (1973). Commissions in policy-making. In R. A. Chapman (Ed.), The role of commissions in policy-making (pp. 174–188). London: George Allen & Unwin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elliott, D., & McGuinness, M. (2002). Public inquiry: Panacea or placebo? Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 10(1), 14–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gephart, R. P., Jr. (1992). Sensemaking, communicative distortion and the logic of public inquiry legitimation. Industrial Crisis Quarterly, 6(2), 115–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilligan, G. (2002). Royal commissions of inquiry. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 35(3), 289–307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gosnell, H. F. (1934). British royal commissions of inquiry. Political Science Quarterly, 49(1), 84–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry. (2016). Terms of reference. Retrieved March 1, 2017, from https://www.hiainquiry.org/terms-reference.

  • Hogwood, B., & Gunn, L. (1993). Why ‘perfect implementation’ is unattainable. In M. Hill (Ed.), The policy process: A reader (pp. 238–247). New York: Harvester Wheatsheaf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holme, R. (2003). Drinking water contamination in Walkerton, Ontario: Positive resolutions from a tragic event. Water Science and Technology, 47(3), 1–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Home Office. (1991). Inquiry by her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons into the escape of two category ‘A’ prisoners from her Majesty’s prison Brixton on 7 July 1991. Text of parts of the report being made public. London: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hood, C., Jennings, W., Dixon, R., Hogwood, B., & Beeston, C. (2009). Testing times: Exploring staged responses and the impact of blame management strategies in two examination fiasco cases. European Journal of Political Research, 48(6), 695–722.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Howe, G. (1999). The management of public inquiries. The Political Quarterly, 70(3), 294–304.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hutter, B. M. (1992). Public accident inquiries: The case of the railway inspectorate. Public Administration, 70(2), 177–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maclean, M. (2001). How does an inquiry inquire? A brief note on the working methods of the Bristol royal infirmary inquiry. Journal of Law and Society, 28(4), 590–601.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McConnell, A. (2003). Overview: Crisis management, influences, responses and evaluation. Parliamentary Affairs, 56(3), 393–409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McConnell, A. (2010). Understanding policy success. Rethinking public policy. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • McConnell, A. (2011). Success? Failure? Something in-between? A framework for evaluating crisis management. Policy and Society, 30(2), 63–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLean, I., & Johnes, M. (2000). ‘Regulation run mad’: The board of trade and the loss of the Titanic. Public Administration, 78(4), 729–749.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, R. (1992). Following Woolf: The prospects for prisons policy. Journal of Law and Society, 19(2), 231–250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, R. (1997). Imprisonment: Current concerns and a brief history since 1945. In M. Maguire, R. Morgan, & R. Reiner (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of criminology (2nd ed., pp. 1137–1194). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor, D. R. (2002). Part one. Report of the Walkerton inquiry: The events of May 2000 and related issues. Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Toole, L. J., Jr. (1997). Implementing public innovations in network settings. Administration & Society, 29(2), 115–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Player, E., & Jenkins, M. (1994). Introduction. In E. Player & M. Jenkins (Eds.), Prisons after Woolf. Reform through riot (pp. 1–28). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prasser, S. (1994). Royal commissions and public inquiries: Scope and uses. In P. Weller (Ed.), Royal commissions and the making of public policy (pp. 1–21). South Melbourne: Macmillan Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pülzl, H., & Treib, O. (2007). Implementing public policy. In F. Fischer, G. J. Miller, & M. S. Sidney (Eds.), Handbook of public policy analysis. Theory, politics, and methods (pp. 89–107). Boca Raton: CRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ransley, J. (1994). The powers of royal commissions and controls over them. In P. Weller (Ed.), Royal commissions and the making of public policy (pp. 22–31). South Melbourne: Macmillan Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Resodihardjo, S. L. (2006). Wielding a double-edged sword: The use of inquiries at times of crisis. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 14(4), 199–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Resodihardjo, S. L. (2009). Crisis and change in the British and Dutch prison services. Understanding crisis-reform processes. Farnham: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rhodes, G. (1975). Committees of inquiry. London: George Allen & Unwin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rochefort, D. A., & Cobb, R. W. (1994). Problem definition: An emerging perspective. In D. A. Rochefort & R. W. Cobb (Eds.), The politics of problem definition. Shaping the policy agenda (pp. 1–31). Lawrence: University Press of Kansas.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sedley, S. (1989). Public inquiries: A cure or a disease? The Modern Law Review, 52(4), 469–479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson, A. C. (1978). Commissions of inquiry and the policy process. In S. Levine (Ed.), Politics in New Zealand. A reader (pp. 22–35). Sydney: George Allen & Unwin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snider, L. (2004). Resisting neo-liberalism: The poisoned water disaster in Walkerton, Ontario. Social & Legal Studies, 13(2), 265–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stone, B. (1994). Success in public inquiries: An analysis and a case study. In P. Weller (Ed.), Royal commissions and the making of public policy (pp. 244–258). South Melbourne: Macmillan Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Suchman, M. C. (1995). Managing legitimacy: Strategic and institutional approaches. The Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 571–610.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sulitzeanu-Kenan, R. (2006). If they get it right: An experimental test of the effects of the appointment and reports of UK public inquiries. Public Administration, 84(3), 623–653.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sulitzeanu-Kenan, R. (2007). Scything the grass: Agenda-setting consequences of appointing public inquiries in the UK. A longitudinal analysis. Policy & Politics, 35(4), 629–650.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sulitzeanu-Kenan, R. (2010). Reflection in the shadow of blame: When do politicians appoint commissions of inquiry? British Journal of Political Science, 40(3), 613–634.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sulitzeanu-Kenan, R., & Holzman-Gazit, Y. (2016). Form and content: Institutional preferences and public opinion in a crisis inquiry. Administration & Society, 48(1), 3–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Duin, M., Wijkhuijs, V., & Jong, W. (2013). Leren van dilemma’s: Rode draden uit de casus [Learning from dilemmas. Most important issues from the cases]. In M. van Duin, V. Wijkhuijs, & W. Jong (Eds.), Lessen uit crises en mini-crises 2012 (pp. 9–34). Den Haag: Boom Lemma.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weller, P. (1994a). Preface. In P. Weller (Ed.), Royal commissions and the making of public policy (pp. ix–xii). South Melbourne: Macmillan Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weller, P. (1994b). Royal commissions and the governmental system in Australia. In P. Weller (Ed.), Royal commissions and the making of public policy (pp. 259–266). South Melbourne: Macmillan Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodhouse, D. (1995). Matrix Churchill: A case study in judicial inquiries. Parliamentary Affairs, 48(1), 24–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Woolf. (1991). Prison disturbances April 1990. Report of an inquiry by the Rt Hon Lord Justice Woolf (Parts I and II) and his honour Judge Stephen Tumim (Part II). London: HMSO, Cm 1456.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sandra L. Resodihardjo .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Resodihardjo, S.L. (2020). Inquiries Following Crises. In: Crises, Inquiries and the Politics of Blame. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17531-3_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics