The Problem of Fit and National Leadership Needs in Transboundary Crises : A Comparative Analysis of Italy, Sweden and Norway
Frykmer, Tove LU ; Becker, Per LU
; Nesse, Synnøve
; Carrus, Giuseppe
and Costa, Sara
(2025)
In Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management
33(4).
- Abstract
Transboundary crises often create a problem of fit, where existing institutional structures are inadequate to meet the demands of the situation, requiring strategic adaptations. This study examines how Italy, Sweden, and Norway, in different ways, addressed national-level leadership needs of decision-making, coordination, and information flow during the early onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, not only based on how the crisis unfolded but also on important framing conditions. Italy's centralised approach leveraged expert advice to legitimise decisions, Sweden's expert-led strategy minimised political exposure, and Norway's hybrid decision-making model integrated political and expert roles to balance accountability. These approaches... (More)
Transboundary crises often create a problem of fit, where existing institutional structures are inadequate to meet the demands of the situation, requiring strategic adaptations. This study examines how Italy, Sweden, and Norway, in different ways, addressed national-level leadership needs of decision-making, coordination, and information flow during the early onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, not only based on how the crisis unfolded but also on important framing conditions. Italy's centralised approach leveraged expert advice to legitimise decisions, Sweden's expert-led strategy minimised political exposure, and Norway's hybrid decision-making model integrated political and expert roles to balance accountability. These approaches illustrate how pre-existing institutional arrangements took part in shaping initial responses, while strategies for managing political risk and framing of responsibility affected the adaptation of leadership practices to better align with situational demands, which appeared central to developing adaptive capacity. This comparative study highlights the significance of structural, political, and framing factors in shaping national responses, providing valuable insights for future research and practice.
(Less)
- author
- Frykmer, Tove
LU
; Becker, Per
LU
; Nesse, Synnøve
; Carrus, Giuseppe
and Costa, Sara
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-12
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- crisis management, leadership needs, problem of fit
- in
- Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management
- volume
- 33
- issue
- 4
- article number
- e70082
- publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105018885604
- ISSN
- 0966-0879
- DOI
- 10.1111/1468-5973.70082
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s). Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
- id
- 59365d39-24a8-43e2-8c33-82b3a3ee322e
- date added to LUP
- 2025-10-29 17:20:21
- date last changed
- 2025-11-03 11:31:59
@article{59365d39-24a8-43e2-8c33-82b3a3ee322e,
abstract = {{<p>Transboundary crises often create a problem of fit, where existing institutional structures are inadequate to meet the demands of the situation, requiring strategic adaptations. This study examines how Italy, Sweden, and Norway, in different ways, addressed national-level leadership needs of decision-making, coordination, and information flow during the early onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, not only based on how the crisis unfolded but also on important framing conditions. Italy's centralised approach leveraged expert advice to legitimise decisions, Sweden's expert-led strategy minimised political exposure, and Norway's hybrid decision-making model integrated political and expert roles to balance accountability. These approaches illustrate how pre-existing institutional arrangements took part in shaping initial responses, while strategies for managing political risk and framing of responsibility affected the adaptation of leadership practices to better align with situational demands, which appeared central to developing adaptive capacity. This comparative study highlights the significance of structural, political, and framing factors in shaping national responses, providing valuable insights for future research and practice.</p>}},
author = {{Frykmer, Tove and Becker, Per and Nesse, Synnøve and Carrus, Giuseppe and Costa, Sara}},
issn = {{0966-0879}},
keywords = {{crisis management; leadership needs; problem of fit}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{4}},
publisher = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
series = {{Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management}},
title = {{The Problem of Fit and National Leadership Needs in Transboundary Crises : A Comparative Analysis of Italy, Sweden and Norway}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1468-5973.70082}},
doi = {{10.1111/1468-5973.70082}},
volume = {{33}},
year = {{2025}},
}