Evaluating the Role of Public-Private Partnerships in Emergency Management: The Viewpoint of Emergency Managers and Operators in Florida

The recent increase in the number of disasters and complexities surrounding existing emergency management efforts necessitate cross-sector collaboration and coordinated response. While previous scholarly works have discussed emergency management efforts from a collaborative perspective, little consideration has been paid to the role public-private-nonprofit partnerships (PPPs) play in emergency management and disaster response. Understanding the outcomes of PPP can be particularly important for emergency managers who make decisions under uncertain conditions and complex situations. The purpose of this study is to operationalize emergency management PPPs and assess the role of these networks on three outcomes organizational resilience, PPP institutionalization, and PPP effectiveness. To this end, this study developed an interdisciplinary conceptual framework using literature from public administration, emergency management, and health management disciplines. Using the proposed conceptual framework, this study designed a web survey for emergency managers and operators (i.e., practitioners) in public, private, and nonprofit sectors in Florida. The findings of this study can help emergency managers across multiple sectors and policymakers to better understand the factors that contribute to successful PPPs in emergency management and assist them in planning for, managing, and utilizing their resources when collaborating with other organizations in response to disasters. This study also provides policy and practical implications for federal agencies, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as well as local emergency management offices from public, private, and nonprofit sectors