ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 presents the theoretical framework for understanding disaster management. The academic literature on disaster management is reviewed while considering the challenging task of framing a response system, particularly in an unprecedented crisis such as COVID-19. This chapter reviews three major frameworks for understanding and analyzing disaster management: structural (hierarchy versus policy network), decision-making style (rational, heuristic, collaborative), and policy learning within the complex adaptive system. Given the nature of disaster requiring multiple actors and resources within the rapidly evolving system, we conclude that the conceptual framework for analyzing COVID-19 responses in Korea should be more wholistic rather than applying a single model.
