The COVID‐19 crisis is a stark reminder that modern society is vulnerable to a special species of trouble: the creeping crisis. The creeping crisis poses a deep challenge to both academics and practitioners. In the crisis literature, it remains ill‐defined and understudied. It is even harder to manage. As a threat, it carries a potential for societal disruption—but that potential is not fully understood. An accumulation of these creeping crises can erode public trust in institutions. This paper proposes a definition of a creeping crisis, formulates research questions, and identifies the most relevant theoretical approaches. It provides the building blocks for the systematic study of creeping crises.

中文翻译：

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隐藏在众目睽睽之下：概念化蔓延的危机

COVID-19 危机鲜明地提醒人们，现代社会很容易受到一种特殊的麻烦：蔓延的危机。这场蔓延的危机对学术界和从业者都构成了深刻的挑战。在危机文献中，它仍然定义不明确且研究不足。更难管理。作为一种威胁，它具有破坏社会的潜力——但这种潜力尚未被完全理解。这些蔓延危机的累积会削弱公众对机构的信任。本文提出了蔓延危机的定义，提出了研究问题，并确定了最相关的理论方法。它为系统研究蔓延危机提供了基础。