The sources of municipalities’ innovation in the management of weather disaster risks, their relationships, and their antecedents

Abstract

This article presents the results of a study on the use of internal and external sources of innovation by municipalities to deal with weather hazards. Using data collected by an online survey of municipal emergency management coordinators in Quebec–Canada, this study shows that municipalities rely primarily on their expertise and, to a lesser extent, on peer organisations and upper levels of governments to develop new solutions to weather hazards. In addition, this study finds weak support for the complementarity hypothesis between internal and external sources of innovation and suggests strongly that these sources of innovation are not substitutable. The capacity and vulnerability of municipalities, as well as political support for initiatives to improve the management of weather disasters, seem to be significant drivers of innovation. Finally, efforts aimed at strengthening public organisations’ internal capacities and creating incentives to facilitate collaborations between public organisations are important levers to stimulate innovation.