Interdependent Digitalized Co-production of Emergency Response: Requirements and Challenges

Abstract

There is an increased need for organized forms of volunteerism in emergency response but there is little research on how to implement them. We describe the form as interdependent digitalized co-production and contribute with a requirements specification of how local initiatives of collaboration between rescue services and volunteer first responders can expand through national coordination – for use in small emergencies and large-scale crises. Requirements are identified in relation to the individual, organization, society and information technology (ICT) support. Identified organizational and ICT-(inter)related challenges concern unclear mandatorship and brand, double private-state roles of the alarm operator, inability to make use of local knowledge and end-user perspectives in the ICT-development. Connecting this to theoretical contributions, we argue that there is a need to renew existing typologies of digitalized co-production, e.g., integrating perspectives from institutional isomorphisms.