The Paradigmatic Landscape of Emergency Management: A Conceptual Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15611/pn.2026.1.04Keywords:
emergency management, social sciences paradigms, management science paradigms, paradigmatic self-awarenessAbstract
Aim: To systematise paradigmatic discourse and foster paradigmatic self‑awareness within the management sciences, with a particular focus on emergency management.
Methodology: A deductive approach was applied, based on a literature review, to classify and analyse existing research within the field of emergency management.
Results: The study demonstrates that emergency management is characterised by paradigmatic tension, multiparadigmaticity, and increasing transparadigmaticity. It also reveals that researchers often lack explicit paradigmatic awareness, which constrains methodological coherence and limits theoretical advancement.
Implications and recommendations: The article highlights the need for clearer articulation of philosophical assumptions, expanded training in research philosophy, and the wider adoption of mixed‑method approaches. Future research should explore alternative paradigmatic classifications and empirically assess how paradigmatic orientations shape research outcomes.
Originality/value: This article provides one of the first comprehensive applications of social science paradigms to emergency management, reinforcing its development as a distinct subdiscipline within the management sciences.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Jakub Marcinkowski
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Accepted 2026-02-08
Published 2026-03-31
