Institutionalizing Preparedness: From Federal Civil Defense in the United States to Local Emergency Management in California (1800–1980s)

Abstract

This article examines the institutionalization of emergency preparedness in the United States, situating the Californian experience, particularly in Los Angeles, within this broader transformation from a fragmented federal concern into a decentralized form of governance. Although scholarship has addressed specific risk domains and institutional mechanisms, few studies have explored how civilian roles in preparedness were historically constructed. This research addresses that gap by analyzing how Cold War civil defense mandates were reinterpreted through civic, professional, and institutional networks in California. Adopting a sociohistorical approach, it draws on archival records, media discourse, institutional documents, and US legal sources. Findings reveal that the figure of the “prepared civilian” emerged through contingent adaptations rather than top-down design and that preparedness circulated unevenly across governance levels. The study contributes to public policy history by reframing emergency preparedness as a historically contingent mechanism of power, shaping institutional knowledge and practice within evolving emergency management systems.