P22 Security, Defence and Crisis Management: assessing governance, policy, and resilience in an Era of Polycrisis

Panel Chairs

Corresponding and Review group chair:

• Prof. Karina Rodrigues, Ph.D.
  Affiliation: Post-Graduate Programme in Military Sciences, Brazilian Army High Command and General Staff College
  Country: Brazil
  Email: karinafrodrigues@gmail.com

Co-Chairs:

• Elias Pekkola, Ph.D.
  Affiliation: Associate Professor of Security Governance, Faculty of Management and Business, Tampere University
• Luiz Alonso de Andrade, Mr.
  Affiliation: Tampere University
  Country: Finland
• Luiz Rogério Franco Goldoni, Ph.D.
  Affiliation: Professor at the Post Graduate Programme in Military Sciences of the Brazilian Army Command and General Staff College (ECEME); Coordinator of the Laboratory of Cyberpower (LPCiber)
• Pertti Ahonen, D. Soc. Sc.
  Affiliation: Professor of Political Science on an Emeritus Contract at the University of Helsinki, Finland; Adjunct Professor at three other universities
• Rómulo Pinheiro, Ph.D.
  Affiliation: Professor & Deputy Head of the Political Science Department, University of Agder
• Tapio Juntunen, Ph.D.
  Affiliation: University Instructor, Faculty of Management and Business, Tampere University
• Temístocles Murilo de Oliveira Junior, Ph.D.
  Affiliation: Post-Doc Researcher at the Brazilian Army Command and General Staff College (ECEME) and Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Politicas da Universidade (ISCSP), Lisbon. Researcher at the Laboratory of National Defence Governance, Management, and Public Policy (Lab GGPP

Panel Description

In an era marked by rising international tensions, new conflicts, and unprecedented challenges like global warming, cybersecurity threats, and pandemics, the role of public sector institutions in ensuring national security and societal resilience has never been more critical. This panel seeks to explore the intricate interplay between defence policies and comprehensive societal security within the broader context of public administration and governance.

The world is witnessing a surge in public spending on defence, driven by an array of emerging threats, including environmental and cyber sovereignty, transnational crime, and the militarization of public security. Despite these developments, the fields of public management and policy have been slow to fully engage with the national security and defence sectors, which have traditionally been the domain of political scientists and international relations scholars.

Simultaneously, the concept of resilience—often understood as the capacity of systems and institutions to adapt to crises while maintaining their core functions—has become central to discussions of societal security. Publicly managed organizations, knowingly or not, play a crucial role in fostering resilience and supporting national security. However, the pursuit of resilience can sometimes mask underlying neoliberal agendas that shift the burden of security and crisis management onto individuals, thereby compressing state capacities.

This panel invites contributions that address the following key questions:

1. Defence and Security Public Investment: How do peace and war influence public investment in defence and the role of civilian engagement in the policy cycle?
2. Civilian Oversight and Efficiency: Beyond preventing coups, how do civil society and elected representatives evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of military bureaucracies? How should democratic values like transparency and accountability be adapted for the defence sector?
3. Crisis Management and Resilience: How do public sector institutions contribute to societal resilience?
4. Security Governance Policy Design and Implementation: What are the unique challenges in designing and implementing defence policies? How do we integrate social participation and adapt to fiscal crises?
5. Cybersecurity and cyberdefence: How do defence institutions address the challenges of cybersecurity and cyberdefence?
6. Resilience Critique: What are the potential downsides of resilience as a normative goal in public services and social policies?
7. Distinctive Characteristics of Security and Defence Forces: What are the unique traits of military institutions that affect policy implementation and interagency collaboration?
8. Public Administration Reforms: How do global public administration reforms impact the defence sector and the implementation of comprehensive security, and what specific reforms are needed to enhance governance?
9. Career Structures and Incentives: How do the career structures within defence institutions influence policy implementation and the broader policy cycle?

Call for Contributions:

We invite theoretical and empirical papers that explore these themes, with a particular focus on the intersections between defence, societal security, and public administration. Contributions may include analyses of specific phases of the defence and security policy cycle, governance theories applied to defence, or the public administration dilemmas inherent in managing defence-related institutions and policies. Both single-case studies and comparative analyses are welcome.