The thesis contributes to the policy transfer literature through the examination of narratives presented by policy actors engaged in policy transfer. The actors’ policy narratives are analysed through the application of the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF). With the use of the NPF, the research investigates the portrayal of narrative elements, including, setting, character, plot, and moral, by the transfer actors, in depicting their perception of the transfer process and object, and of the other actors involved in the policy transfer. The investigation is aimed at having a better understanding of factors that facilitate the occurrence of policy transfer i.e. transfer mechanisms, such as, conditionality, obligation, and persuasion, and how they manifest and drive the transfer process. To examine how policy narratives may inform the manifestation of transfer mechanisms, the research studies two cases of policy transfer involving international governmental organisations (IGOs) as transfer agents. These are i) the transfer of renewable energy policy by the European Union to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and ii) the transfer of disaster risk reduction (DRR) policy by the United Nations International Strategy for DRR (UNISDR) to ECOWAS. The thesis argues that the mechanisms of conditionality and persuasion were involved in the transfer of renewable energy policy, while the mechanism of obligation can be observed in the transfer of DRR policy. It further argues that the portrayals of the narrative setting, character, plot and moral, in the policy narratives of the transfer agents and recipient, shaped the manifestation of these transfer mechanisms. The application of the NPF to the two case studies enabled the identification and association of different policy narrative elements that will likely characterise specific transfer mechanisms. In addition, the study highlights the opportunity of broadening policy transfer research beyond a limited geographical reach, through covering two instances of policy transfer to a region in sub-Sahara Africa. It also broadens the group of actors that are often studied in the literature by considering policy transfers initiated and led by IGOs.

Global policies in disaster management have radically changed since 1990s, shifting the previously entrenched emphasis on emergency management, towards new applications of risk management. A series of international declarations expressed the determination and principles to reduce risks at every level, which were followed by many national governments. The disaster management system in Turkey seems to tend towards this approach, not necessarily based on an awareness of the global trends, but due to the severe impacts of the 1999 events. Since no understanding and political commitment for disaster mitigation prevails in Turkey, risk mitigation planning at every level is yet far from being effective. This claim constitutes the basic working hypothesis of the study. Verification of the hypothesis is based on a comparative analysis of the organizational structures of the selected countries, and a survey of recent local performance. The framework developed by the Kobe Conference is employed in both analyses. The former analysis indicated that despite the new institutional developments like &lsquo / construction supervision&rsquo / and &lsquo / obligatory insurance&rsquo / , Turkey in its disaster policy is still far from a comprehensive mitigation approach in terms of the Kobe criteria. Although the laws of local administrations now contain new tasks of city-level disaster management, not only confusions between pre-disaster and post-disaster responsibilities prevail, but no operational guidance is given for the fulfillment these responsibilities. A whole range of activities are therefore in need of being streamlined into the tasks of urban planning in the reduction of disaster risks. With the amendment of laws, modification of the professional practice and the training of planners are expected.

Chronic seismic hazards and resulting secondary impacts are due to the geological conditions of Turkey and the nature of current response mechanisms. Local know-how of building and settlement that evolved over centuries eroded with the growth in population, and the introduction of reinforced concrete building economics. This makes cities the most vulnerable geographical and social entities in Turkey. A basic formal reference of disaster management is the National Seismic Hazard Map indicating zones of hazard probabilities which are directly related to different measures in construction. This is hardly a sufficient disaster policy tool however, as cities may have very different risk profiles independent from the hazard probabilities. City level risk variations are not considered in the Seismic Hazard Map. This study intends to establish indicators for different risk levels in urban areas other then those implied by the National Seismic Hazard Map. Apart from local morphological and geological conditions, attributes of building stock, rates of unauthorized buildings and social conditions represent vulnerability indicators and could be effective in the determination of local risk levels. One specific description of risk levels is available in the obligatory reporting of the local authorities about the &quot / most likely level of disaster losses&quot / . This information, as an obligatory task of the governorates represents a local assessment of the most likely disaster losses and it is available from the GDDA. The city-level statistics of building stock on the other hand are available from the Turkish Statistical Institute. Correlation and Regression analyses are employed to determine what combinations of the independent variables might best denote city-level risks, and these may vary independently from their positions in the Hazard Map. The research may thus generate information for a more effective disaster policy.

Extreme weather events have become a common occurrence and coastal communities are adversely affected by it. Studies have shown that the changing climate has increased the frequency and severity of storms, surging sea levels, and floods, as was seen with Hurricane Sandy (2012) and Typhoon Haiyan (2013). The need to be proactive in preparing for these events, as a means of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, is evident. This study focuses on the formal definition, measurement and simulation of coastal community preparedness and response to severe storm events. Preparedness and response requires resources, emergency plans, informed decision making and the ability to cope with unexpected events. A suite of preparedness indicators is developed using a three level hierarchical framework in the construction of a coastal community preparedness index to evaluate resources and plans. Informed decision making for emergency management personnel in the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) is evaluated through a table-top exercise using a five-phase approach. Lastly, decision making with risk is introduced with a storm decision making simulation model. This study is applied to the case of the breakwater failure in the coastal community of Little Anse, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

No description available.

The frequency and severity of floods have increased due to climate change and achieving successful disaster risk reduction is deemed crucial to attain preparedness and sustainability. The responsibility for society’s preparedness mainly resides with local public actors. However, several Swedish municipalities have insufficient flood risk management. Research within disaster risk reduction suggests that risk can be understood as socially constructed and produced, highlighting the relevance of exploring risk perceptions. Yet, previous research has mostly been concerned with objective dimensions of risk and largely neglected social dimensions, such as decision-makers’ risk perceptions. Ridolfi and colleagues’ theoretical contribution to Cultural Theory of Risk suggests four types of ideal societies, or perceptions, which ultimately affect flood risk management: risk neglecting, risk monitoring, risk downplaying, and risk controlling perceptions. Yet, the theoretical work has not been applied empirically. This study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of local public actors’ perceptions of flood risk and how this in turn may be connected to different flood risk management strategies. This thesis adopts a comparative case study design and explores the topic by applying Ridolfi and colleagues’ theoretical contribution to the municipalities of Karlstad and Kristinehamn. While Kristinehamn has been criticized for insufficient flood risk management, Karlstad has been put forward as a front runner in disaster risk reduction. Surprisingly, the results show that the municipalities reason in similar ways about flood risk, suggesting that the proposed differences between the two may be overestimated. Both municipalities believe in the capacity of technical hard-adaptive measures manipulating the environment and thus largely correspond to the risk controlling perception. However, the municipalities differ in some respects, as it can be argued that Karlstad shows signs of a risk monitoring perception whereas Kristinehamn shows signs of a risk neglecting or downplaying perception, potentially shedding light on the slightly varying approaches. In essence, the study’s utilization of the theory indicates that decision-makers’ subjective risk perceptions are important to explore in order to understand flood risk management approaches and subsequently important processes to achieve overall preparedness and sustainability. By exploring municipal actors’ perceptions of flood risk, the study not only contributes empirically by applying mentioned theoretical contribution for the first time, but also adds to the wider body of the theoretical knowledge on the significance of decision-makers’ risk perception for risk reduction, and thus contributes to a better understanding of the social dimensions of risk.

This thesis w attempts to contribute to the identified gap in the disaster-conflict literature and posits the following research question: How does armed conflict affect DRR and disaster response, and what explains within conflict variations? Past research revealed that there is significant variation in types of rebel groups, which has significant consequences for disaster management. More nuanced approaches are needed in studying wartime political orders to scrutinize the dynamics of armed conflict and to assess the feasibility of DRR and relief interventions in different contexts. Studies suggest how militarily strong rebel organizations are less likely to inflict violence on civilians and are more likely to engage in wartime state-building; this thesis builds on that and examines how variations in wartime political orders, conditioned by the level of rebel territorial control, formal, informal institutions and relationships with the civilians and organizations affect the observed outcome, i.e. execution of disaster risk reduction and disaster relief programming. This theory is tested using the structured focused comparison method and takes an in depth look into two regions in Nepal during the 1996-2006 civil war across two distinct periods. Primary and secondary sources are used to collect and analyze data on the selected cases. Findings suggest that WPOs may  have a considerable impact on how DRR and relief are delivered during conflict; stronger rebel territorial control is positively correlated with DRR and relief, while lower levels of rebel territorial control were found to be  negatively correlated; these findings are  limited due to a number of data  constraints.

Incorporating gender into disasters and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is important given women’s and men’s different needs, vulnerabilities, capacities and roles in the context of disasters. Male engagement or ‘men-streaming’ has gained increased attention in research on gender and development, yet it has been overlooked in the field of DRR. This thesis aims to transfer the discussion on male engagement from development to disasters by studying how ‘men-streaming’ is described in the context of DRR. The analysis will build upon a case-study of the Gender Equality Toolkit by The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB). A qualitative content analysis will be the main method for the thesis. The Toolkit will be analyzed using an open analytical framework, consisting of three themes: Men as Vulnerable, Men as Capable and Men as Allies. The results illustrate that all three themes of male engagement are described in gender policy for DRR, with a main focus on men’s vulnerabilities. The contribution of this thesis is the recognition that while men are increasingly seen as vulnerable rather than obstacles in the context of DRR, men’s capacities and allyship to women are not fully included in gender policy.

No description available.

Natural disasters and hazards pose significant risks and challenges for people and communities all around the world, among the groups most vulnerable to these events are elderly populations who face physical, social, and psychological hardships in the face of disasters. The vulnerability and lacking resilience of elderly are a growing global concern as their proportion of the world's population is steadily increasing with an estimated 1 in 6 people being aged 65 and over by 2050, doubling the current number. The physical frailty, cognitive decline, sensory impairment, and economic disadvantage that often come paired with aging can make older adults more susceptible to harm in the face of natural disasters and social isolation, limited access to resources, and dependency on caregivers or family members further increase the risk of adverse outcomes for the elderly during and after a disaster. It is essential for the future to address the unique challenges faced by older populations in disaster situations and identify effective strategies to enhance their resilience and reduce their vulnerability. In Japan, with a rapidly aging society and increasing numbers of elderly individuals, the issue of disaster preparedness and response becomes even more pronounced. The current policies of individual self-reliance and community-based disaster management are heavily promoted as the way forward, but are these policies suitable and sufficient for elderly and vulnerable populations? This thesis seeks to explore whether these policies are suitable for the needs and realities of the increasing number of elderly and vulnerable individuals who are unable to take care of themselves in times of crisis.  Through an analysis of vulnerability and resilience, this thesis seeks to identify the key factors that contribute to the experiences of elderly people in disaster situations. By presenting a case study of Japan, the thesis aims to identify the strengths and weaknesses of current policies and strategies in promoting resilience and reducing vulnerability among elderly populations in Japan. This thesis aims to provides a critical insight into the policies and strategies for promoting resilience and reducing vulnerability among elderly populations during disasters and to highlight the need to critically reflect on the suitability of current policies in relation to the the growing number of vulnerable elderly.