Environmental planning and hollowed governments: relationships between external consultants, administrative context, and plan quality in the context of hazard mitigation planning

Over the past five decades, government capacity has been ‘hollowed out’ in favor of external consultants, including in environmental planning. Hazard mitigation planning provides an ideal test bed to examine how consultants influence plan quality. Our research explores the extent of consultant involvement in local planning under the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 and their varying influence on different mitigation plan components. Using a multi-state comparative design, we analyze 105 county mitigation plans, accounting for local administrative capacity, discretion, and other factors affecting plan quality. Our findings reveal widespread consultant involvement, with consultants strengthening documentation processes but not land-use actions, which are more influenced by local discretion. This reinforces the argument that US mitigation planning prioritizes procedural compliance over risk-reducing action. We interpret these findings in the context of theoretical implications and discuss potential policy adjustments to enhance the effectiveness of local hazard mitigation planning.