Creating a Theoretical Framework for Understanding Homeland security using Multiple Frame Analysis

The purpose of this study was to begin the effort to build a theoretical foundation for homeland security policy by analyzing the 1993 World Trade Center terrorist attack using multiple frame analysis (MFA). MFA consisted of three conceptual lenses: (I)-Homeland Security as a Criminal Justice Problem/Terrorism as Crime, (II)-Homeland Security as a International Relations Problem/Terrorism as War, and (III)-Homeland Security as an Organization Design Problem/Terrorism as a Network. These lenses were applied to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing using a case study methodology, thus creating a framework to analyze a singular critical event from multiple perspectives. This research was successful at highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the dominant lenses used to understand homeland security at the time of the 1993 WTC bombing, as well as, the importance of using more than one lens to attempt to understand complex problems such as homeland security. Each lens, when used alone, captured only a small part of the problem we were seeing and severely limited our ability to predict the long term threat that was emerging at the time. This research found that the fields of criminology, public administration, and international relations, each bring unique theoretical perspectives that contribute significantly to our understanding of homeland security. By identifying the theoretical gaps, as well as, the overlaps within each disciplinary perspective, a new approach to address homeland security can be developed in a holistic manner to explain this new phenomenon. The study concluded with a list of future studies to consider and recommended that scholars and government leaders lead the process of continuing to analyze our conceptual lenses as they relate to homeland security, so that new conceptual lenses may be formed which are more integrated and comprehensive than those used in this study. This is a necessary next step toward creating a general theory of homeland security

1968-10-19

This article analyzes the phenomenon of homeland security through the development of four conceptual lenses that were created out of the existing literatures in criminal justice, public administration, organization behavior, risk management, international relations, and the overlap between them. Using terrorism as a proxy for the homeland security enterprise, these conceptual lenses include: (1) homeland security as a criminal justice problem which views terrorism as a crime; (2) homeland security as a international relations problem which views terrorism as a war; (3) homeland security as an organization design problem which views terrorism as a network of sub-state transnational actors; and (4) homeland security as a collaborative nexus which views terrorism as a complex mixture of social, political, economic, and environmental issues; that is, lens 4 represents an overlap of lenses 1-3. Each conceptual lens consists of theories, practices, values, beliefs, and assumptions that serve to shape how homeland security is conceptualized. We recognize that homeland security is a broad field applied science that incorporates natural, technological, and manmade hazards and threats. Perhaps to best exemplify the complex and evolving nature of the homeland security enterprise, terrorism can be an effective proxy for how homeland security might be conceptualized and how a theoretical foundation might be structured. These conceptual lenses highlight how perceptual filters can significantly alter how individuals and organizations understand and explain phenomena or events

Embedding Meteorologists and Hydrologists into Emergency Operations

The article record may be found at https://www.hsaj.org/articles/21125As alert systems have evolved over the years, it has served to enhance timely coordination between emergency managers and meteorologists.Sponsored the U. S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Preparedness Directorate, FEMA, CHDS is part of the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS)

Critical Issues in Homeland Security: A Casebook

Critical Issues in Homeland Security: A Casebook encourages analytical and careful examination of practical homeland security problems through the presentation of contemporary cases involving major state or national events. Case studies demonstrate the complexity of challenges within the domain of homeland security policy and administration. Editors James D. Ramsay and Linda Kiltz carefully curated fourteen cases, all from top scholars and practitioners, to cover a broad range of legal, policy, and operational challenges within the field of homeland security. Timely and interesting cases on such issues as arctic security, the use of drones in targeted killings, cyber security, and the emergency management lessons of the 2010 Haiti earthquake give students a deeper understanding of the relationship between the theories and the practices of homeland security. Discussion questions at the end of each case and an online instructor’s manual make Critical Issues in Homeland Security an even more effective learning tool for any homeland security program

Curriculum Alignment with a Mission of Social Change in Higher Education

Institutions of higher education frequently acknowledge their role in contributing to the common good through their mission statements. The current literature suggests that in order to be effective mission statements must be clearly articulated and reflected in all the activities of the institution including its curriculum. Faculty members at Walden University developed a Curriculum Guide for Social Change that could serve as a tool for reviewing current course offerings and developing new courses to reflect its mission of “creating positive social change.” Those involved in piloting the Guide report on the process in this article. The general consensus is that it was time-consuming and frequently subjective; but the Guide gave substance to the institution’s mission, opening the way for its fuller implementation

Gender equity in academic rheumatology, current status and potential for improvement: a cross-sectional study to inform an EULAR task force

OBJECTIVES: Evidence on the current status of gender equity in academic rheumatology in Europe and potential for its improvement is limited. The EULAR convened a task force to obtain empirical evidence on the potential unmet need for support of female rheumatologists, health professionals and non-clinical scientists in academic rheumatology. METHODS: This cross-sectional study comprised three web-based surveys conducted in 2020 among: (1) EULAR scientific member society leaders, (2) EULAR and Emerging EULAR Network (EMEUNET) members and (3) EULAR Council members. Statistics were descriptive with significance testing for male/female responses assessed by χ2 test and t-test. RESULTS: Data from EULAR scientific member societies in 13 countries indicated that there were disproportionately fewer women in academic rheumatology than in clinical rheumatology, and they tended to be under-represented in senior academic roles. From 324 responses of EULAR and EMEUNET members (24 countries), we detected no gender differences in leadership aspirations, self-efficacy in career advancement and work-life integration as well as the share of time spent on research, but there were gender differences in working hours and the levels of perceived gender discrimination and sexual harassment. There were gender differences in the ranking of 7 of 26 factors impacting career advancement and of 8 of 24 potential interventions to aid career advancement. CONCLUSIONS: There are gender differences in career advancement in academic rheumatology. The study informs a EULAR task force developing a framework of potential interventions to accelerate gender-equitable career advancement in academic rheumatology