Locating social capital in resilient community-level emergency management

Murphy, Brenda

doi:10.1007/s11069-006-9037-6

Cited by 336 publications

(242 citation statements)

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“…Eroded resilience and increased vulnerability can easily turn small-scale hazards into catastrophic disasters (Wisner et al 2004). It is also equally important to facilitate learning at all stages of the disaster cycle (Berke, Kartez, and Wenger 1993;Murphy 2007;Pelling 2007;Chang and Chang 2010;Paton et al 2010). There are abundant examples of learning failures from the AG literature that can provide lessons for DRR, including how learning can be more systematically supported, adopted, and implemented.…”

Section: Implications For Resilience To Natural Hazardsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptive governance and managing resilience to natural hazards

Djalante

Holley

Thomalla

2011

Int J Disaster Risk Sci

239

133

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The increasing frequency, intensity, and severity of natural hazards is one of the most pressing global environmental change problems. From the local to the global level, governments and civil society need to increase resilience to these hazards. Despite what is now a very sizeable literature on designing governance systems to produce resilience, a substantial gap in the natural hazards scholarship remains because most studies have lacked grounding in comparable theories on governing for resilience. This article contributes to interdisciplinary research on the conceptual understanding of the interlinkages of adaptive governance (AG), resilience, and disaster risk reduction (DRR). Through better understanding of diversity of terminology, terms, and characteristics, we take a step forward towards mutual learning and intellectual experimentation between the three concepts. Our review shows that there are four characteristics of AG that are important to help increase resilience to natural hazards. These are polycentric and multilayered institutions, participation and collaboration, self-organization and networks, and learning and innovation. The article examines the development, tradeoffs, and benefits that arise from the implementation of the AG characteristics, and reviews their influence on resilience. Hazard and disaster case studies are then examined to see how each AG characteristic is viewed and implemented in disaster contexts. Based on this analysis, the contributions of AG to the DRR literature are identified, before outlining the implications for theory and further research.

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Section: Implications For Resilience To Natural Hazardsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptive governance and managing resilience to natural hazards

Djalante

Holley

Thomalla

2011

Int J Disaster Risk Sci

239

133

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…This application uses empirically derived indicators/themes from prior studies about community resilience (e.g. Cutter et al 2008Cutter et al , 2010Murphy 2007) and is not specific to a context or disaster type. However, in a real setting, context-specific indicators would be applied.…”

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confidence: 99%

Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory for modelling community resilience to natural disasters

et al. 2011

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This paper advocates the use of Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory as a framework to analyse resilience at diverse scales. Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory can be employed to (a) benchmark social resilience, (b) target the priority interventions required and (c) measure progress arising from these interventions to enhance resilience to natural disasters. First, the paper explores resilience to natural disasters in the context of climatic change as building resilience is seen as a way to mitigate impacts of natural disasters. Second, concepts of resilience are systematically examined and documented, outlining resilience as a trait and resilience as a process. Third, issues arising in relation to the measurement of resilience are discussed. Fourth, Bronfenbrenner's bioecological systems theory is described and proffered to model and assess resilience at different scales. Fifth, studies are described which have supported the use of the bioecological systems theory for the study of resilience. Sixth, an example of the use of Bronfenbrenner's theory is offered and the paper concludes with suggestions for future research using Bronfenbrenner's theory.Keywords Resilience · Natural disaster · Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory · Community · Climate change 1 IntroductionThe world's climate is experiencing marked changes (IPCC 2007). These changes are set to be accompanied by an increase in the number and severity of natural disasters such as floods and droughts and present a need to formulate policy to deal with these predictions (Bosomworth and Handmer 2008;Bosher et al. 2009; COAG 2009;McBean and Rodgers 2010). In Australia, and elsewhere, we need to be prepared for rapid onset events such as wildfires, cyclones and floods and slow onset hazards such as drought.Emergency Management considers resilience essential for safeguarding communities or building safer communities. Disaster resilience is seen as a quality, characteristic or result that is developed by processes that foster or promote it. The ability of an individual, group, community or nation to deal with unique destabilising situations, or disaster resilience, is also seen as the …'shield', 'shock absorber' or buffer that moderates the outcome to ensure benign or small-scale negative consequences. Indeed, the goal of disaster risk management is to guarantee minimal loss of life and livelihoods and to allow the affected community or system to return to 'normal' within the shortest possible time. (Manyena 2006: 438) Prosser and Peters (2010) remind us that to support a disaster-resilient community, studies must focus on prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. Current Emer-gency Management policy in Australia (COAG 2009) and internationally (Berkes 2007;Folke et al. 2003; Tompkins and Adger 2004) concurs, asserting that building resilience into communities is essential in order to cope with climate change and concomitant natural disasters. This paper advocates the use of 2 Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory as a framework to analyse com...

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“…Scholars and practitioners increasingly draw attention to the benefits of social capital for the responsiveness of public organizations in general (see ANDREWS, 2012) and emergency services in particular (MURPHY, 2007). The analysis presented here illustrates that efforts to draw upon the social resources present within an area are only likely to succeed for those aspects of service provision that exhibit significant openness to the contributions of citizens.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Rather less attention has been paid to the connection between social capital and the performance of regionally-organized service providers often responsible for responding to emergencies. In particular, although researchers have devoted attention to role social capital may play in enabling emergency services to deal with natural disasters (MURPHY, 2007;YAMAMURA, 2010), few have theorised its connection with the performance of ambulance services, and fewer still have empirically analysed this relationship. This paper will build on the growing interest in these issues by theorising an empirical model of the social capital-emergency services performance relationship and applying it to the response times of regional ambulance services in England.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regional Variations in Emergency Service Performance: Does Social Capital Matter?

Andrews

Wankhade

2014

Regional Studies

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The relationship between social capital and the performance of public organizations is currently at the top of the UK policy agenda and elsewhere. This paper examines whether social capital is associated with improved regional emergency service performance by exploring its relationship with the achievements of ambulance trusts in England. Drawing on a six year panel data set, ambulance response times are modelled using an index of social capital, incorporating measures of community organizational life, political efficacy and social trust, in the regions served by NHS ambulance trusts.Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. KEYWORDSSocial capital; regional emergency services; organizational performance. 2 INTRODUCTIONThe concept of social capital is increasingly deployed in a host of important areas of public policy (see HALPERN, 2004). Structural, attitudinal and cognitive components of social capital, such as community organizational life, political efficacy and social trust, constitute resources that can potentially be mobilised for public purposes, including the delivery of public services. Whether by supplementing the efforts of public service providers, pushing them to be more responsive to citizens' needs and demands, or reducing the transaction costs associated with successful policy implementation, the different dimensions of social capital may be likely to have a positive influence on public service outcomes. Since the publication of Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone interest in the relationship between social capital and the performance of public services has grown rapidly. Most empirical studies of this relationship have focused on the achievements of regional and local governments or schools and school districts (see ANDREWS, 2012). Rather less attention has been paid to the connection between social capital and the performance of regionally-organized service providers often responsible for responding to emergencies. In particular, although researchers have devoted attention to role social capital may play in enabling emergency services to deal with natural disasters (MURPHY, 2007;YAMAMURA, 2010), few have theorised its connection with the performance of ambulance services, and fewer still have empirically analysed this relationship. This paper will build on the growing interest in these issues by theorising an empirical model of the social capital-emergency services performance relationship and applying it to the response times of regional ambulance services in England.Institutionalist approaches to the geography of public policy suggest that spatial variations in social and human resources are likely to influence the behaviour of public organizations (SCOTT, 2001).Such variations have been observed to influence the achievements of regional service providers in 3 previous studies (BRASINGTON, 2002;THOMAS, 2001). In particular, the normative institutions associated with a civic culture, such as a politically engaged citizenry, are a potent source of path dependency for the public se...

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Locating social capital in resilient community-level emergency management

Cited by 336 publications

References 22 publications

Adaptive governance and managing resilience to natural hazards

Adaptive governance and managing resilience to natural hazards

Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory for modelling community resilience to natural disasters

Regional Variations in Emergency Service Performance: Does Social Capital Matter?

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