Overview

In the aftermath of major crises, governments usually turn to expensive public inquiries. Clearly, such inquiries have an important policy-learning mandate. However, despite their high-profile nature and their being the pre-eminent means of learning about crises, we know very little about exactly what inquiries produce in terms of learning, and what factors influence their effectiveness. This book examines the extent to which post-crisis inquiries actually dodeliver effective lesson-learning and thereby reduce vulnerability to future threats. It provides evidence from an international comparison of post-crisis inquiries in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, andthe United Kingdom, which will show that, contrary to conventional wisdom, the post-crisis inquiry is an effective means of policy-learning after crises, and that they do consistently encourage policy reforms that enhance resilience to future threats.