Behavioural Emergency Management: Theoretical Framework and Research Prospects

Abstract

Behavioural emergency management has broad research and application prospects. It explores the psychological and behavioural patterns of decision-makers in crisis situations from a behavioural perspective, thus providing a micro-level foundation for emergency management theory and practice. This paper first outlines the theoretical development of behavioural emergency management and constructs a theoretical framework. Then, it discusses the cognitive biases present within emergency management, specifically across four stages of crisis information processing: acquisition, evaluation, action and feedback. Finally, the paper analyzes three types of nudges that utilize public cognitive biases in emergency management: optimizing decision information, restructuring decision architecture and providing decision assistance. The aim of this paper is to integrate and promote research in the field of behavioural emergency management and to offer micro-level insights for emergency management practice.