This text on emergency and crisis management by Kapucu (Center for Public and Nonprofit Management, U. of Central Florida) and Özerdem (Centre for Peace and Reconciliation Studies, Coventry U., England) proceeds from a social perspective that puts the main emphasis on issues of vulnerability, as opposed to hazards, and thus focuses on institutional, sociocultural, and political characteristics of responding to crises and emergencies effectively. Drawing primarily on experiences from the United States and Europe, the analysis examines state-civil society cooperation and effectiveness as well as the effectiveness of existing prevention and preparedness mechanisms. Ethical issues of accountability, politicization, corruption, and humanitarianism are also explored. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)