ABSTRACT
The chapter examines case research in the structure and workings of several federal, state, and local emergency and natural disaster preparedness programs. The chapter begins with a study in which existing theories of disaster and emergency management are discussed and a new theory is proposed. Although this study does not qualify as case research, it is included to provide readers with a structural model to follow for using case research to propose or test a theory. By substituting real cases for the hypothetical ones described in the study, a new theory can be introduced in the same way that it occurs in this study.
