This year’s IRSPM (International Research Society for Public Management) annual conference took place in Italy, hosted by the University of Bologna, the oldest university in Europe, founded in 1088. The main theme of the conference was “Civic engagement and social capital in contemporary public administration: facing the challenges of social equity and environmental sustainability”

“We presented in a session dedicated to crisis management, chaired by experts from the University of Tampere in Finland, the University of Agder in Norway, and the Brazilian Army Command and General Staff College,” said Nagel.

The presentation explored crisis resolution as a co-creative process and examined what conditions enable successful citizen-inclusive crisis response. “This presentation focused on the pollution crisis that hit Western Estonia three years ago, where large amounts of oil of unknown origin washed up on the shores of Vormsi, Hiiumaa, and later Haapsalu. Through cooperation with the local community, the crisis was resolved so effectively that the Western Estonia Rescue Center later awarded it the ‘Act of the Year,’” she added.

The data behind the presentation will also form the basis of a scientific article highlighting the prerequisites for successful co-creative crisis management. Nagel emphasized that the nature of the crisis must allow for community involvement, which is not always the case. “Not every coastal pollution event enables citizen participation—for example, some chemicals washed ashore can be so toxic that involving the public in cleanup efforts would endanger their safety. Additionally, our research findings showed that successful community involvement requires the crisis to be perceived as serious enough—people must feel that their help is truly needed.”

Nagel’s presentation was part of panel P22 – Security, Defence and Crisis Management: assessing governance, policy, and resilience in an Era of Polycrisis. More information on the panel can be found here.

Photo: IRSPM conference presentation in Italy (Kriisiuuringute Keskus, 2025)