FIIA’s Research Fellow Helmi Räisänen has earned her doctorate in social sciences from the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Helsinki. The dissertation of Räisänen focuses on preparedness for socio-ecological crises.
The dissertation examines what crisis preparedness is and what it ought to be in the era of chronic socio-ecological crises, such as climate change and biodiversity loss. It focuses on how to cope with the already-induced crises while also staying on a sustainable path regarding the long-term future. The topic is approached by studying empirical material on Finnish public authorities at multiple administrative levels. The study uses the concept of preparedness imagination. In the crisis management context, the term refers to established ways of exploring, analysing and addressing ideas about threats that are not apparent in the operational environment.
-The policy recommendations that can be drawn from the study include increasing the flexibility of preparedness planning, building scenarios in a multidisciplinary manner, applying a longer time frame to preparedness, as well as introducing a new kind of simulation exercise called the Policy Operations Room, Räisänen says.
The dissertation can be accessed on Helsinki University webpage on the e-thesis service.
FIIA congratulates on the achievement!
