Coordination Effectiveness During Public Health Emergencies: An Institutional Collective Action Framework

Authors: Ismail Soujaa, Julius A. Nukpezah and Abraham David Benavides

This article draws on the institutional collective action (ICA) framework and data from a survey of senior public health and emergency management professionals in the DallasÐFort Worth metroplex following the Ebola outbreak to investigate coordination effectiveness during public health emergencies. Based on the study findings, the article recommends that having an identifiable lead agency, official statements from local authorities, a conducive environment for informal conversations, and communication activities that inform, connect, and involve professionals is essential for an effective coordination. Practical implications of the study extend to how to mitigate collective action dilemmas with regard to coordinating COVID-19 pandemic responses.

View the publication in English here.

This website is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the READY initiative. READY (not an acronym) is supported by USAID’s Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and is led by Save the Children in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health, the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, UK-Med, EcoHealth Alliance, and Mercy Malaysia. The contents of this website are the sole responsibility of Save the Children. The information provided on this website does not necessarily reflect the views of USAID, any or all consortium partners, or the United States Government, and is not official U.S. Government information.

This website is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of READY and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. Led by Save the Children, the READY initiative is implemented in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health, the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, UK-Med, and the Humanitarian Leadership Academy. READY is augmenting global capacity for non-governmental organizations to respond to large-scale infectious disease outbreaks.