Date of Conferral

2018

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Olivia Yu

Abstract

Collaboration has been indispensable in resolving many contemporary problems involved in emergency/disaster management, but it is unclear if key determinants of collaboration established through studies focused on the Western world would apply to countries outside the West. The purpose of this cross-sectional non-experimental study was to examine the effects of political affiliation, an established determinant, on collaboration among emergency management agencies (EMAs) in Nigeria. Barnes's theory of social network and Lévi-Strauss's theory of social exchanges framed the study. Survey data were collected from a sample of 38 EMAs out of the population of 812 EMAs; they were affiliated with 6 political parties in control of different jurisdictions between 2011 and 2015. Data were grouped into 2 categories based on the alignment of political affiliation of the agencies (same party vs. different parties). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and t-tests. Results suggested no significant difference in the perception of the strength of collaboration among the representatives of the EMAs who had similar political party alignment when compared with the perception of the strength of collaboration among EMAs who had different political party alignment (p = .15). Implications for positive social change include recommendations for government officials to focus on the other determinants of collaboration, that is, improving management techniques and making resources available regardless of political affiliation. These could ultimately contribute to making emergency management more effective and efficient, thereby reducing the adverse effects of emergencies and disasters on the citizenry.

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