Impacts of flooding are expected to increase, most notably in residential areas. As a consequence, private households are increasingly encouraged to engage in private flood mitigation complementary ...to public measures. Despite the growing literature on private flood mitigation, little is known about how social capital influences households' perception of and coping with flood risks. This study draws on survey data of 226 flood-prone households in two Austrian Alpine municipalities, both recently affected by riverine flooding. We show that social capital cuts both ways: on the positive side, social capital increases perceived self-efficacy and provides critical support during and most notably after flood events. On the negative side, social capital reduces flood risk perceptions of private households. While social ties are effective when responding to and recovering from floods, the expectation of social support downplays risk, making precautionary action by households less likely. The results also show that flood-affected households receive more social support than they provide to others. In the long-run, this can lead to a problematic reciprocity imbalance, challenging the long-term stability of the interpersonal exchanges underlying social capital. Among the various sources of social support, informal social networks (neighbours, friends and relatives) provide the most important workforce in the response and recovery phase of a flood event. It is therefore crucial for flood risk management to recognise and promote the protective quality of social capital alongside conventional structural and non-structural measures.
Flood preparedness of private households is regarded an essential building block of integrated flood risk management. In the past decade, numerous empirical studies have employed the protection ...motivation theory (PMT) to explain flood mitigation behavior at the household level. However, much of this research has produced mixed results and could not consistently confirm the strength and direction of the relationships between the PMT components. Based on a survey of 2,007 households in flood-prone areas, this study revisits the model structure of the PMT by means of structural equation modeling. Compared to the methods used in previous studies, this modeling technique allows us to capture the PMT components in greater detail and to comprehensively test their hypothesized interrelations. Our results point to two separate routes leading to two different response types: A protective route from coping appraisal to protective behavior, and a non-protective route from threat appraisal to non-protective responses. Risk perception is not found to be part of the protective route, neither are non-protective responses confirmed to undermine protection motivation. The two separate routes are observed consistently across all combinations of the six protective and four non-protective responses assessed in this study. In the light of encouraging private flood adaptation, risk communication measures should specifically target the protective route and avoid (accidentally) providing incentives that fall within the non-protective route. This cross-sectional study, however, cannot establish how the two routes interrelate over time. More experimental and longitudinal research is required to address potential feedback effects and the role of decision stages.
Damage and disruption caused by floods do not just arise from the characteristics of physical structures, but also from the characteristics of residents inhabiting these structures. Social ...vulnerability analyses typically employ socio‐demographic proxy indicators that do not address the risk attitudes, beliefs and agency of those living in areas at risk. To close this gap, this article introduces a range of indicators from psychological risk research. Physical, social and psychological indicators are compared for their influence on vulnerability outcomes such as building damage or emotional distress. Based on survey data of 456 Austrian at‐risk households, hierarchical regression models confirm the added value of psychological indicators for measuring vulnerability above and beyond traditional physical and social indicators. Our findings show that psychological indicators are particularly important for explaining health impacts and distress. General intentions for flood preparedness, fear of flooding and self‐efficacy are most relevant. For a more holistic view of vulnerability, measurement instruments should incorporate psychological indicators. Disaggregated household‐level data is necessary to fully capture the variability between households living in the same flood‐prone area. Indicators perform differently depending on the other indicators included, and the considered outcome; therefore, we caution against pooling indicators to composite indices of overall vulnerability.
The recent shift to individualisation of flood risk calls for a stronger involvement of private actors. Bottom‐up citizen initiatives (BUIs) may bring together governmental bodies with people at ...risk. Drawing on a screening of existing BUIs in Europe, North America, and Australia and an in‐depth analysis of three study sites, this paper maps BUI activities to stages in the risk management cycle and discusses the institutional, relational and social proximity between BUIs and other stakeholders. Flood BUIs often take over roles that the authorities are not willing or able to fulfil. BUIs emerge out of frustration with current risk policies, after a catastrophic flood event, government‐initiated engagement projects or targeted funding opportunities. BUIs can take different forms, ranging from oppositional pressure groups, self‐help movements for disaster response and recovery, to initiatives formally installed by law. While self‐organised BUIs benefit from high proximity to their home communities, formalised BUIs are deeper embedded in existing institutional structures. In order to gain a stronger voice in the risk debate, BUIs need to expand from the local level to catchment areas and exchange expertise and resources in nationwide or cross‐border networks. However, BUIs may create parallel political structures that are not democratically legitimised.
Climate and weather-related damage have been increasing globally in recent decades. Due to climate change and socio-economic developments, a further increase in climate-related risks is expected. ...Numerous countries have a long and successful history in disaster risk management (DRM) to avoid, minimize and manage damage caused by extreme weather events. In addition, climate change adaptation (CCA) focuses on managing the risks resulting from climate change today and in the future. To improve the effectiveness and efficiency of managing climate-related risks, these two independent approaches need to be linked closer in a more holistic approach – a concept that has been termed climate risk management (CRM). In order to build stronger ties in practice, it is crucial to first understand current governance structures in specific countries or regions. This paper focuses on Austria, a country with experience in both DRM and CCA. In this paper, we present a comprehensive picture of the stakeholder landscape and governance structures in the context of managing climate-related risks. We focus on flooding and agricultural drought, two key risks in Austria. Building on a literature review and a two-stage stakeholder process, consisting of stakeholder interviews and stakeholder workshops, relevant institutions and actors were identified and assigned to a 4-phase CRM cycle. Moreover, specific activities of the identified actors and interactions between them were determined. Based on these insights, we conclude that a comprehensive CRM, which aligns DRM and CCA practice, does not yet exist in Austria. We propose to establish the missing CRM decision-making structures by e.g. instituting a legally-anchored national climate risk council, which can act as an interface between CRM practice and political decision-making.
Self‐efficacy is one of the strongest and most consistent drivers of private flood mitigation behavior; however, the factors influencing self‐efficacy in the context of flooding remain unclear. The ...present study examines three potential antecedents of self‐efficacy: personal and vicarious experiences of floods or building‐related events, social norms for private flood preparedness, and personal competencies such as technical abilities and social skills. While controlling for other drivers in a protection motivation theory (PMT) framework, these antecedents are tested as precursors of self‐efficacy and intentions to improve flood resilience. Structural equation modeling is applied to conduct mediation analyses with survey data of 381 flood‐prone households in Austria. Contrary to theoretical expectations, personal and vicarious experiences do not predict self‐efficacy, presumably because rare flood events and changing hazard characteristics do not facilitate generalizable performance accomplishments. Social norms strongly and consistently influence self‐efficacy, especially for actions observable by others, and also directly influence protective responses. Personal competencies increase self‐efficacy and support protective action, particularly with regard to preventive and structural measures. The strength and direction of the antecedents of self‐efficacy as well as of other PMT determinants vary between general and specific protective responses. This study provides important insights for risk managers, suggesting that interventions involving social norms and personal competencies can be effective in stimulating self‐efficacy and, in turn, private flood mitigation. Interventions and research should clearly differentiate between general intention and the implementation of specific measures, and should address cumulative, synergistic, or tradeoff interrelations between multiple measures.
Previous studies do not agree on the strengths and directions of the effects between risk appraisal, nonprotective, and protective responses in private flood mitigation. This may be due to the ...widespread use of cross‐sectional survey designs, which infer causality from theoretical considerations alone. The present longitudinal study, in contrast, builds on the logic that cause precedes effect to confirm the direction of effects.
Drawing on two‐wave survey data from 554 flood‐prone households in Austria, cross‐lagged autoregressive models analyze pairwise combinations between risk perception, fear, five nonprotective responses (fatalism, denial, wishful thinking, reliance on social support, reliance on public protection), and seven specific protective responses (ranging from coordination with neighbors to structural modifications of the building). These factors show substantial temporal stability, in particular for nonprotective responses and fear. Only in very few instances can effects over time be confirmed statistically. Nonprotective responses emerge as the major drivers; foremost, denial, and reliance on public protection limit private flood mitigation.
This overall null finding on causality may trace back to the 1.5 years’ time span and the absence of any policy intervention or flood disaster between survey waves, and the high stability of protection motivation theory components. This finding puts into question the theoretically assumed causal relationships and the effects found in cross‐sectional studies. The high trait‐like stability requires perseverance in risk management efforts to change attitudes and capabilities. Finding nonprotective responses as key determinants in an overall picture of stability suggests that this factor merits a stronger role in future risk research.
Previous research in non-disaster contexts has shown that the concept of collective efficacy, which is a group's sense of its ability to achieve a specific objective, assists understanding of ...community readiness and households' decisions to take preparedness actions. Collective efficacy expands the concept of social capital, which refers to social resources such as trust, norms and networks, by addressing how likely communities are to activate these resources for specific tasks. This paper empirically investigates the effect of three distinct collective efficacy components on risk perception, fear and self-efficacy regarding natural hazards in Austria. The three components have differing impacts on risk and coping beliefs: (1) Social cohesion decreases risk perception and fear but has no effect on self-efficacy; (2) Efficacy belief in social support increases self-efficacy; (3) Efficacy belief in citizen groups increases risk perception and fear. The combination of efficacy belief in social support and citizen groups seems to be most promising for stimulating protective action, as they together promote both risk and coping appraisal. However, overreliance on social support may have the undesirable effect of creating a false sense of safety among disaster-prone households. The findings demonstrate that collective efficacy provides a meaningful perspective from which to examine risk and coping beliefs but caution against treating it as an umbrella concept, given the differing effects of its components. Future studies are needed to investigate the impact of collective efficacy on other key explanatory factors of protective action, such as response efficacy or non-protective responses.
The objective of sustainability measurement is to move environmental decision making toward more rigorous, quantitative and empirical foundations. One of the most comprehensive attempts to lay out ...the foundations for sustainability measurement has been offered by the Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI). This paper aims to advance the science of sustainability measurement by assessing the validity and reliability of this composite index in order to provide new insights for future indicator development. The architecture of the ESI is validated against the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) model, after which an exploratory factor analysis is conducted to reveal the latent structure of the index. Further, the performance of the ESI is tested in cross-national regression models. The results indicate a lack of consistency with the well established PSR model and a potential bias towards economically developed countries grounded in the architecture and weighting mechanism of the index. A re-weighted index (Equivalised ESI) is constructed, resulting in a new ranking of countries' sustainability. The Equivalised ESI improves the measurement qualities of the index, and in so doing actually reinforces the rich-country bias of the ESI. Put differently, the Equivalised ESI brings the deficiencies of the original ESI to the fore. This paper illustrates that there are serious conceptual problems and validity concerns with defining the ESI as a sustainability measure. Taken together, the findings reinforce the need to reconsider future foundations of sustainability measurement in order to ensure that it is clear both what is being measured and how well.
The future of development Esteva, Gustavo; Babones, Salvatore J; Babcicky, Philipp
10/2013, Letnik:
46502
eBook
This book explains the origins of development and underdevelopment and offers a new vision for development, demystifying the statistics that international organizations use to measure development and ...introducing the alternative concept of buen vivir: the state of living well.On January 20, 1949 US President Harry S. Truman officially opened the era of development. On that day, over one half of the people of the world were defined as underdeveloped and they have stayed that way ever since. This book explains the origins of development and underdevelopment and shows how poorly we understand these two terms. It offers a new vision for development, demystifying the statistics that international organizations use to measure development and introducing the alternative concept of buen vivir: the state of living well. The authors argue that it is possible for everyone on the planet to live well, but only if we learn to live as communities rather than as individuals and to nurture our respective commons. Scholars and students of global development studies are well-aware that development is a difficult concept. This thought-provoking book offers them advice for the future of development studies and hope for the future of humankind.
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