ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses a model of authoritarian governance during an emergency. It describes both the guidelines concerning the goals of the emergency management and recovery process and the means utilised to achieve such goals. The chapter focuses on a case of authoritarian governance in a post-disaster scenario, contributes to a better understanding of broader aspects of the shift from liberal democracy to the apparent oxymoron of authoritarian democracy. Local institutions and territorial arrangements can be set aside in favour of a centralised model of governance and organisation. The chapter also analyses the disaster governance system in L'Aquila after the 2009 earthquake, with a special focus on the stage of the recovery process. It explores the extended use of a State of Exception and permanent derogation to outline an interpretative model named Meta-legal Praxis. The chapter also focuses on a community-based solution, a self-built shelter village near L’Aquila, and on the role of citizens' associations in disaster resilience.
