Effects of information seeking and risk perception on the adaptation planning of public organizations: evidence from US Public transit agency responses to extreme weather events

Extreme weather events have prompted public organizations to develop long-term adaptation plans. Previous studies have highlighted the effects of weather experience, socioeconomic conditions, the organizational environment, and managerial characteristics on public organizations’ adaptation strategies. In this paper, strategic decision-making theory and adaptation planning theory are used to develop hypotheses regarding the relationships among experience, internal information-seeking activities, managerial risk perception, and long-term adaptation planning. We test the literature-derived hypotheses via regression analysis conducted on survey data collected in a 2019 national survey of managers from approximately 200 US public transit agencies that provide public bus services only and have revenues of more than one million dollars. This study contributes to adaptation planning scholarship and practices by clarifying how public organizations, particularly those that rely on public infrastructure to provide public services, consider the impact of previous extreme weather event experiences on risk perceptions, information-seeking activities, information-seeking scope, and adaptation planning efforts for the reduction of future risk impacts.