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Journal ArticleDOI

From knowledge to action: Bridging gaps in disaster risk reduction

01 Feb 2013-Progress in Human Geography (SAGE Publications)-Vol. 37, Iss: 1, pp 93-114
TL;DR: The battlefield of knowledge and action for disaster risk reduction (DRR) is discussed, outlining the need for a more integrative process consisting of bottom-up and top-down actions, local and scientific knowledge, and a vast array of stakeholders.
Abstract: A large amount of studies have been produced on disaster-related issues over the last century of research, yet there continues to be gaps in translating knowledge into action. This paper discusses ...
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Polanyi is at pains to expunge what he believes to be the false notion contained in the contemporary view of science which treats it as an object and basically impersonal discipline.
Abstract: The Study of Man. By Michael Polanyi. Price, $1.75. Pp. 102. University of Chicago Press, 5750 Ellis Ave., Chicago 37, 1959. One subtitle to Polanyi's challenging and fascinating book might be The Evolution and Natural History of Error , for Polanyi is at pains to expunge what he believes to be the false notion contained in the contemporary view of science which treats it as an object and basically impersonal discipline. According to Polanyi not only is this a radical and important error, but it is harmful to the objectives of science itself. Another subtitle could be Farewell to Detachment , for in place of cold objectivity he develops the idea that science is necessarily intensely personal. It is a human endeavor and human point of view which cannot be divorced from nor uprooted out of the human matrix from which it arises and in which it works. For a good while

2,248 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The root cause analysis of vulnerability is absent from most climate response assessments as mentioned in this paper, while attributing some causal weight to proximate social variables, such as poverty or lack of capacity.
Abstract: Causal analysis of vulnerability aims to identify root causes of crises so that transformative solutions might be found. Yet root-cause analysis is absent from most climate response assessments. Framings for climate-change risk analysis often locate causality in hazards while attributing some causal weight to proximate social variables such as poverty or lack of capacity. They rarely ask why capacity is lacking, assets are inadequate or social protections are absent or fail. This contribution frames vulnerability and security as matters of access to assets and social protections. Assets and social protections each have their own context-contingent causal chains. A key recursive element in those causal chains is the ability – means and powers – of vulnerable people to influence the political economy that shapes their assets and social protections. Vulnerability is, as Sen rightly observed, linked to the lack of freedom – the freedom to influence the political economy that shapes these entitlements. In the ...

387 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (SFDRR) as discussed by the authors is the first global policy framework of the United Nations post-2015 agenda and represents a step in the direction of global policy coherence with explicit reference to health, development, and climate change.
Abstract: The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (SFDRR) is the first global policy framework of the United Nations’ post-2015 agenda. It represents a step in the direction of global policy coherence with explicit reference to health, development, and climate change. To develop SFDRR, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) organized and facilitated several global, regional, national, and intergovernmental negotiations and technical meetings in the period preceding the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) 2015 where SFDRR was adopted. UNISDR also worked with representatives of governments, UN agencies, and scientists to develop targets and indicators for SFDRR and proposed them to member states for negotiation and adoption as measures of progress and achievement in protecting lives and livelihoods. The multiple efforts of the health community in the policy development process, including campaigning for safe schools and hospitals, helped to put people’s mental and physical health, resilience, and well-being higher up the disaster risk reduction (DRR) agenda compared with the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005–2015. This article reviews the historical and contemporary policy development process that led to the SFDRR with particular reference to the development of the health theme.

289 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The recently adopted Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction 2015-2030 addresses knowledge-related issues and provides the opportunity to highlight the critical role of knowledge in risk reduction.
Abstract: Disaster risk reduction policy and practice require knowledge for informed decision making and coordinated action. Although the knowledge production and implementation processes are critical for disaster risk reduction, these issues are seldom systematically addressed in-depth in disaster studies and policy programs. While efforts and improvements have been made with regard to data and information, only limited resources are committed to improving knowledge management structures and inte- grating knowledge systems at different spatial levels. The recently adopted Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 addresses knowledge-related issues and provides the opportunity to highlight the critical role of knowledge in disaster risk reduction. This article presents insights into potential conceptualizations of knowledge that would advance disaster research and policy. We use cases from France to illustrate challenges of and pathways to disaster risk reduction. We suggest to further strengthen efforts that improve our understanding of the connections between disaster risk, knowledge, and learning. A better integration of multiple scales, different societal actors, various knowledge sources, and diverse disciplines into disaster risk research will increase its relevance for deci- sion-makers in policy and practice. Well-targeted incen- tives and political backing will improve the coherence, coordination, and sharing of knowledge among various actors and arenas.

194 citations

References
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Book
01 Jan 2011
TL;DR: Buku terlaris New York Times and The Economist tahun 2012 as mentioned in this paper, and dipilih oleh The NewYork Times Book Review sebagai salah satu dari sepuluh buku terbaik tahune 2011, Berpikir, Cepat and Lambat ditakdirkan menjadi klasik.
Abstract: Buku terlaris New York Times Pemenang Penghargaan Buku Terbaik Akademi Sains Nasional pada tahun 2012 Dipilih oleh New York Times Book Review sebagai salah satu dari sepuluh buku terbaik tahun 2011 A Globe and Mail Judul Buku Terbaik Tahun 2011 Salah Satu Buku The Economist tahun 2011 Salah Satu Buku Nonfiksi Terbaik The Wall Street Journal of the Year 2011 2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient Pekerjaan Kahneman dengan Amos Tversky adalah subyek dari Proyek Undoing Michael Lewis: Persahabatan yang Mengubah Pikiran Kita Dalam buku terlaris internasional, Berpikir, Cepat, dan Lambat, Daniel Kahneman, psikolog terkenal dan pemenang Hadiah Nobel dalam Ekonomi, membawa kita pada perjalanan pemikiran yang inovatif dan menjelaskan dua sistem yang mendorong cara kita berpikir. Sistem 1 cepat, intuitif, dan emosional; Sistem 2 lebih lambat, lebih deliberatif, dan lebih logis. Dampak dari terlalu percaya pada strategi perusahaan, kesulitan memprediksi apa yang akan membuat kita bahagia di masa depan, efek mendalam dari bias kognitif dalam segala hal mulai dari bermain pasar saham hingga merencanakan liburan kita berikutnya ― masing-masing dapat dipahami hanya dengan mengetahui bagaimana kedua sistem tersebut membentuk penilaian dan keputusan kami. Melibatkan pembaca dalam percakapan yang hidup tentang bagaimana kita berpikir, Kahneman mengungkapkan di mana kita bisa dan tidak dapat mempercayai intuisi kita dan bagaimana kita dapat memanfaatkan manfaat dari pemikiran yang lambat. Dia menawarkan wawasan praktis dan mencerahkan tentang bagaimana pilihan dibuat baik dalam bisnis kita dan kehidupan pribadi kita ― dan bagaimana kita dapat menggunakan teknik yang berbeda untuk menjaga gangguan mental yang sering membawa kita ke dalam masalah. Pemenang Penghargaan Buku Terbaik Akademi Sains Nasional dan Hadiah Buku Los Angeles Times dan dipilih oleh The New York Times Book Review sebagai salah satu dari sepuluh buku terbaik tahun 2011, Berpikir, Cepat dan Lambat ditakdirkan menjadi klasik.

12,984 citations

Book
08 Apr 2008
TL;DR: In Nudge as discussed by the authors, Thaler and Sunstein argue that human beings are susceptible to various biases that can lead us to blunder and make bad decisions involving education, personal finance, health care, mortgages and credit cards, the family, and even the planet itself.
Abstract: A groundbreaking discussion of how we can apply the new science of choice architecture to nudge people toward decisions that will improve their lives by making them healthier, wealthier, and more free Every day, we make decisions on topics ranging from personal investments to schools for our children to the meals we eat to the causes we champion. Unfortunately, we often choose poorly. Nobel laureate Richard Thaler and legal scholar and bestselling author Cass Sunstein explain in this important exploration of choice architecture that, being human, we all are susceptible to various biases that can lead us to blunder. Our mistakes make us poorer and less healthy; we often make bad decisions involving education, personal finance, health care, mortgages and credit cards, the family, and even the planet itself. In Nudge, Thaler and Sunstein invite us to enter an alternative world, one that takes our humanness as a given. They show that by knowing how people think, we can design choice environments that make it easier for people to choose what is best for themselves, their families, and their society. Using colorful examples from the most important aspects of life, Thaler and Sunstein demonstrate how thoughtful "choice architecture" can be established to nudge us in beneficial directions without restricting freedom of choice. Nudge offers a unique new take-from neither the left nor the right-on many hot-button issues, for individuals and governments alike. This is one of the most engaging and provocative books to come along in many years.

7,772 citations

Book
01 Jan 1958
TL;DR: In this article, the distinguished physical chemist and philosopher, Michael Polanyi, demonstrates that the scientist's personal participation in his knowledge, in both its discovery and its validation, is an indispensable part of science itself.
Abstract: In this work the distinguished physical chemist and philosopher, Michael Polanyi, demonstrates that the scientist's personal participation in his knowledge, in both its discovery and its validation, is an indispensable part of science itself. Even in the exact sciences, "knowing" is an art, of which the skill of the knower, guided by his personal committment and his passionate sense of increasing contact with reality, is a logically necessary part. In the biological and social sciences this becomes even more evident.

6,913 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors argue that the social, political and economic environment is as much a cause of disasters as the natural environment and that the concept of vulnerability is central to an understanding of disasters and their prevention or mitigation, exploring the extent and ways in which people gain access to resources.
Abstract: Many disasters are a complex mix of natural hazards and human action. At Risk argues that the social, political and economic environment is as much a cause of disasters as the natural environment. Published within the International Decade of Natural Hazard Reduction, this book suggests ways in which both the social and natural sciences can be analytically combined through a 'disaster pressure and release' model. Arguing that the concept of vulnerability is central to an understanding of disasters and their prevention or mitigation, the authors explore the extent and ways in which people gain access to resources. Individual chapters apply analytical concepts to famines and drought, biological hazards, floods, coastal storms, and earthquakes, volcanos and landslides - the hazards that become disasters'. Finally, the book draws practical and policy conclusions to promote a safer environment and reduce vulnerability.

6,432 citations


"From knowledge to action: Bridging ..." refers background in this paper

  • ...…paradigm, in line with the political ecology tradition of geography, asserts that disasters primarily affect those who are marginalized in everyday life and who lack access to resources and means of protection which are available to others with more power (Hewitt, 1983; Wisner et al., 2004)....

    [...]

  • ...…are exogenous to local communities and often of national or global origin, e.g. unequal access to resources, poverty, gender and ethnic discrimination, and poor governance, among other structural cultural, social, economic and political constraints (Watts and Bohle, 1993; Wisner et al., 2004)....

    [...]

  • ...It is further poorly fitted for harnessing local knowledge and addressing the root causes of vulnerability which are highly contextual (Wisner et al., 2004)....

    [...]

  • ...First, the underlying social, cultural, economic and political causes of vulnerability are not usually viewed as military or civil-defence matters (Wisner et al., 2004)....

    [...]

  • ...It refers to the larger relationships between the state and the people, or the ideology, values and authority imposed on the latter, the distribution of power within the society, and the level of priority given to DRR (Wisner et al., 2004)....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Few review types possess prescribed and explicit methodologies and many fall short of being mutually exclusive, but this typology provides a valuable reference point for those commissioning, conducting, supporting or interpreting reviews, both within health information and the wider health care domain.
Abstract: Background and objectives : The expansion of evidence-based practice across sectors has lead to an increasing variety of review types. However, the diversity of terminology used means that the full potential of these review types may be lost amongst a confusion of indistinct and misapplied terms. The objective of this study is to provide descriptive insight into the most common types of reviews, with illustrative examples from health and health information domains. Methods : Following scoping searches, an examination was made of the vocabulary associated with the literature of review and synthesis (literary warrant). A simple analytical framework—Search, AppraisaL, Synthesis and Analysis (SALSA)—was used to examine the main review types. Results : Fourteen review types and associated methodologies were analysed against the SALSA framework, illustrating the inputs and processes of each review type. A description of the key characteristics is given, together with perceived strengths and weaknesses. A limited number of review types are currently utilized within the health information domain. Conclusions : Few review types possess prescribed and explicit methodologies and many fall short of being mutually exclusive. Notwithstanding such limitations, this typology provides a valuable reference point for those commissioning, conducting, supporting or interpreting reviews, both within health information and the wider health care domain.

5,571 citations