Deceit in Disaster: Learning and Tensions in the Policymaking Process For Disaster Fraud
Abstract
While fraud often follows disaster events, experts in the emerging field of disaster criminology do not concur on the reasons for fraud or the appropriate policy response. Policymakers continue to evaluate what policies may prevent or deter such fraud, but how they learn and engage with the issue remains unclear. What tensions do policymakers encounter while engaging in learning efforts about disaster assistance fraud events? This multi-case study examined the policymakers learning environment about disaster fraud, and discourse analysis provided insight into recent policy learning. The policy cases included the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Funeral Assistance program, the Small Business Administration's Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, the United Kingdom's fraud doctrine, the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Disaster Recovery program, and FEMA's fraud office and awareness. The study identified three significant tension areas for policymakers - experience, resource allocation, and political opportunity - in examining current policies and gauged the strength of these tensions in each case. This thesis finds that some policymakers fail to consider the reasons for disaster fraud and leverage the politics of fraud for policy outcomes. It concludes that the field of disaster criminology needs further examinations of frauds causes and uniformity in data and resource approaches.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1213025
Entities
People
- Kyle R. Thomas
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School