Decisions in disaster recovery operations: A game theoretic perspective on organization cooperation*

Large-scale emergencies, also called disasters, are a global phenomenon. From Indonesia to Haiti, disasters have killed hundreds of thousands of people, destroying local infrastructure and leaving millions of people homeless. In the United States, Hurricanes Katrina and Ike showed the remaining vulnerability of developed countries to natural disasters, despite the large number of actors dedicated to responding to these scenarios at the local, state, and federal levels. Differences in culture and context make it essential for organizations, government, and individuals responding to a disaster to be prepared to work effectively in an unfamiliar environment even within a common national border. Disaster relief and emergency management have played an increasingly signicant role in foreign policy for the United States and other developed countries.