Risk and Blame in the Public Sector

Bibliographic Data

ID23584056
AuthorsSandra L Resodihardjo (0000-0002-0959-6635, Radboud University Nijmegen, corresponding author)
Year2018
Pages671-687
Publication date2018-01-01
Open AccessYes
TypeCHAPTER
VenueThe Palgrave Handbook of Public Administration and Management in Europe (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherPalgrave Macmillan UK (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1057/978-1-137-55269-3_35
OpenAlexW2768680702
ISBN9781137552693
LanguageEN
References cited40

Serious incidents are often followed by a framing contest during which, for instance, a consensus is reached whether the incident was a crisis, how serious the crisis was, what caused the crisis, and whether someone can be blamed for the crisis or its mismanagement. If someone can be blamed, a blame game can ensue. Improper handling of this blame could result in resignation or electoral loss—hence actors’ preoccupation with how to avoid and deal with blame. This chapter describes how blame games work, focusing on presentational strategies, rituals, context, and sub-blame games.

Blame · CONTEST · Framing (construction) · Political science · Presentational and representational acting · Public relations · Engineering · Law · Policy Transfer and Learning · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies · Psychology · Public Policy and Administration Research · Social Psychology

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