Rethinking crisis management: Technocracy, globalism, and the rise of emergenciocracy

Journal Article: Rethinking crisis management - Technocracy, globalism, and the rise of emergenciocracy

Journal: Social Sciences & Humanities Open, a fully open access scientific journal covering all areas of the social sciences, economics, and humanities, which can be found here.

Date of Publication: February 7, 2026

Author: Niccolò Bertuzzi, Assistant Professor of Political Sociology at the University of Parma

How to Cite: Bertuzzi, Niccolò. (2025). Rethinking Crisis Management: Technocracy, Globalism, and the Rise of Emergenciocracy. Social Sciences & Humanities Open. Vol. 13 June 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2026.102551

Abstract: By examining the intersection of technocracy, globalism, and the increasing weight of emergencies in decision-making processes, the paper presents and discusses the concept of emergenciocracy, a governance framework that normalizes the use of emergencies as a structural and rhetorical tool to manage crises. The analysis situates emergenciocracy within the broader context of the ongoing polycrisis—the convergence of ecological, health, economic, and geopolitical crises—arguing that this framework generates a departure from traditional democratic norms. Emergencies, initially framed as temporary deviations, have evolved (and will evolve) into sustained modes of governance, consolidating authority while bypassing deliberative processes: this is not only referred to biopolitics as postulated by Agamben but especially to political opportunity structures, implying the risk to increase socio-economic inequality. Moving in particular from energy and climate issues, I highlight the role of technocratic expertise and centralized transnational governance in shaping responses to crises, criticizing the depoliticization of public discourse through the fetishization of technical solutions, which often marginalize alternative epistemologies and community-driven initiatives.

An important aspect being explored is also the complex role of grassroots movements in legitimizing emergenciocratic practices. While such movements advocate for urgent action on critical issues related to social and environmental justice, their reliance on emergency rhetoric may inadvertently reinforce top-down governance structures.

A text version of the article can be accessed here, and a PDF version can be accessed here.