Modes of local crisis management: is there a Nordic model?

Abstract

This chapter charts the modes of crisis management applied in the Nordic municipalities during the pandemic. What were the characteristic modes chosen to deal with the crisis at the local level? Were there significant variations between countries in this regard, or did one specific mode dominate regardless of local and national circumstances? Based on a review of the crisis management literature, four modes of crisis management are suggested. These four modes hinge on distinctions between reliability versus adaptability and organisation versus network. Incidences of all four modes are recorded in all five countries, although to varying degrees. If there is a Nordic model, it is about an ability to switch between modes over time and according to circumstances.