Organizational structuring for homeland security: a U.S. state-by-state comparative analysis

UnrestrictedOn 11 September 2001 the United States experienced multiple high-casualty terrorist events within its homeland resulting in the deaths and injuries to thousands of its citizens. These events had a subsequent profound effect on governance in the United States, impacting the roles of federalism and intergovernmental relations, to include how the 50 U.S. states responded. In 2002 Congress passed H.R. 5005 Homeland Security Act of 2002, establishing a new Department of Homeland Security at the Federal level. This had a "ripple effect" on how the individual states changed to address homeland security.; This dissertation explores the changes the 50 individual states took in addressing their homeland security needs, specifically if, how and why they changed their organizational structures. This dissertation topic is important since one of the primary functions of both federal and state governments, if not the primary function, is the safety and protection of its citizenry. Organizations, as collectives of people and functions addressing societal issues and problems, play a critical role in addressing issues such as safety and homeland security, since they impact lines of authority, communication with federal, state and local agencies in addressing problems, and the distribution of monies/grants to help plan for and protect against terrorist events and other man-made and natural disasters