Abstract

Decision making is the most vital stage in the public policymaking, especially when decision makers face crises. There is a rich theoretical literature and dense theory buildings on decision making in politics as usual, but little is empirically understood how perception of crisis decision-making is shaped. This paper focuses on the stage of decision making in face of crisis. I develop an innovative conceptual framework to analyze what decision makers perceive of their circumstances, and the reasons behind the adoption and pursuit of major changes in public policy. In this paper, the process and content of perception in decision making have been studied, and contested. I further tap into an empirical case study about the practical implications of these insights and more specifically about issues of perception formulation. A case study of Singapore Red Cross in Asian Tsunami relief is presented as an example of perception formulation in crisis decision-making.

Key words: Perception, Singapore, disaster relief, Tsunami, crisis, decision making.