From crisis to inquiry: a framework for designing and assessing crisis inquiries from a learning perspective

Abstract

Learning after crises is crucial for restoring trust in government, improve crisis management, and prevent future crises from happening. Yet, beyond the general role crisis inquiries play, little attention has been paid to how crisis inquiries are conducted, and whether they are actually conducive to learning. In this article, building on insights from the academic literature, we explore how crisis inquiries and the components of their reports differ, and how these differences affect the process of learning in the wake of a crisis. We explain how their design and interpretation is crucial for shaping a crisis inquiry from a learning perspective. We develop a crisis inquiry framework outlining 16 key processes in a crisis inquiry, following the four stages of an inquiry process: initiating an inquiry, collecting data, conducting the analysis, and communicating the findings. This framework can serve as guidance for both officials tasked with setting up crisis inquiries, as well as scholars and the wider public when assessing and interpreting inquiry reports, helping to ensure that lessons are effectively learned and applied.