A Seed has been Planted : Examining public-private cooperation in the civil preparedness sector of food supply and drinking water

Abstract: The resurgence and increased use of the total defense concept in the political landscape of Sweden comes in a time of global geopolitical uncertainties and multifaceted security crises. Despite its stated importance, how the private sector should be incorporated into this structure remains somewhat unclear. As such, the aim of this thesis was to analyze the interconnection between organizational and human behavior from the perspective of public-private cooperation in today’s Swedish total defense. To achieve this aim, six interviews were conducted with representatives from government agencies and business organizations in the civil preparedness sector of food supply and drinking water. The study sought to identify key factors defining this public-private relationship, use a theoretical framework based on rationalist organizational and social-psychological perspectives, and discern what combined impact they have on contemporary inter-organizational crisis cooperation.  The analysis indicates that the preparedness sector of food supply and drinking water is inherently robust, with a great deal of trust between individual agencies and private actors. However, there is a needfor greater organizational clarity and clear expectations, while a general lack of personnel and resources means that the risk of economic loss often takes precedence over further investments in civil preparedness. Furthermore, the establishment of the preparedness sector entailed a greater capacity for coordinating inter-organizational preparedness efforts but may have created an uncertain hierarchy with informational blind spots. Also, it is argued that government agencies have clearer expectations and goals within the total defense in general due to their identity in crisis and preparedness being firmly established, something that private actors lack