Disaster Impact, Risk Reduction and Regime Type in Southeast Asia
Lead Research Organisation:
Aston University
Department Name: College of Business and Social Sciences
Abstract
The political context in which disasters occur is an under-developed area of research. This is despite natural hazards posing significant political challenges by inflaming grievances, increasing resource scarcity, negatively impacting on livelihoods, and increasing criminality. As changes in local climate amplify the regularity and severity of disaster events, this research project asks: how does regime type influence the impact of disasters caused by natural hazards? And what potential disaster risk reduction strategies can be identified to facilitate and strengthen future disaster governance?
This project seeks to determine the political barriers to disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Southeast Asia, with the aim of improving regional and international disaster aid dispersal across political contexts. Using Southeast Asia as a test case study, the project will develop an original dataset that maps national disaster impact across Southeast Asia according to regime type. Results in the form of a dataset, codebook and briefing paper will be disseminated to disaster relief organisation practitioners to be used as an analytical tool to guide future disaster responses and to improve the efficacy of disaster risk reduction across multiple political contexts in Southeast Asia. Eleven countries will form the basis of analysis across a thirty-year timeframe. There are two objectives:
Objective One: To conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis to ascertain (a) the number, severity and impact of all disasters originated by natural hazards across Southeast Asian cases from 1991-2021, (b) the regime type, utilising existing Worldwide Governance Indicators (World Bank), Democracy Status Indicators (Freedom House) and Political Regime Characteristics (Polity IV) indicators, and (c) the regional (ASEAN), national (state agency) and sub-national (civil society and local government) disaster responses. A regression analysis will assess the relationship between regime type and disasters impact across the eleven Southeast Asian cases between 1991-2021.
Objective Two: To (a) process and evaluate the dataset established under objective one and (b) compile findings for dissemination to beneficiaries in the form of three academic articles, a policy brief, infographics, two training and networking workshops and two academic conferences. The dataset and codebook will be shared on a custom-built website.
There is no existing dataset that examines the relationship between disasters impact and regime type. This new dataset will be used as an analytical tool to help inform disaster relief organisations of the political context in which they operate, the types of DRR and response strategies utilised in the past, those that will be most effective per country, and predicted responses to future disasters irrespective of changes in political context. Early engagement with beneficiaries has identified two user-related needs that the project will deliver on:
1. to enhance knowledge of context-specific restrictions impacting on the ability of disaster relief organisations and their community-based partners to perform their role in DRR and response effectively.
2. to generate a quantitative dataset that can be used by organisations as evidence when lobbying state policymakers for organisational funding and resource acquisition.
The dataset will be disseminated to international and UK-based disaster relief organisations working in DRR. Outputs will supplement data and knowledge gaps to improve context-specific disaster responses and aid dispersal, support state and private funding initiatives, and influence policymaking. This will support the capacity of these organisations to work with local communities and government authorities to improve in-country DRR capacity and resilience. The project will engage with these stakeholders at all stages of the research process to achieve maximum impact.
This project seeks to determine the political barriers to disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Southeast Asia, with the aim of improving regional and international disaster aid dispersal across political contexts. Using Southeast Asia as a test case study, the project will develop an original dataset that maps national disaster impact across Southeast Asia according to regime type. Results in the form of a dataset, codebook and briefing paper will be disseminated to disaster relief organisation practitioners to be used as an analytical tool to guide future disaster responses and to improve the efficacy of disaster risk reduction across multiple political contexts in Southeast Asia. Eleven countries will form the basis of analysis across a thirty-year timeframe. There are two objectives:
Objective One: To conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis to ascertain (a) the number, severity and impact of all disasters originated by natural hazards across Southeast Asian cases from 1991-2021, (b) the regime type, utilising existing Worldwide Governance Indicators (World Bank), Democracy Status Indicators (Freedom House) and Political Regime Characteristics (Polity IV) indicators, and (c) the regional (ASEAN), national (state agency) and sub-national (civil society and local government) disaster responses. A regression analysis will assess the relationship between regime type and disasters impact across the eleven Southeast Asian cases between 1991-2021.
Objective Two: To (a) process and evaluate the dataset established under objective one and (b) compile findings for dissemination to beneficiaries in the form of three academic articles, a policy brief, infographics, two training and networking workshops and two academic conferences. The dataset and codebook will be shared on a custom-built website.
There is no existing dataset that examines the relationship between disasters impact and regime type. This new dataset will be used as an analytical tool to help inform disaster relief organisations of the political context in which they operate, the types of DRR and response strategies utilised in the past, those that will be most effective per country, and predicted responses to future disasters irrespective of changes in political context. Early engagement with beneficiaries has identified two user-related needs that the project will deliver on:
1. to enhance knowledge of context-specific restrictions impacting on the ability of disaster relief organisations and their community-based partners to perform their role in DRR and response effectively.
2. to generate a quantitative dataset that can be used by organisations as evidence when lobbying state policymakers for organisational funding and resource acquisition.
The dataset will be disseminated to international and UK-based disaster relief organisations working in DRR. Outputs will supplement data and knowledge gaps to improve context-specific disaster responses and aid dispersal, support state and private funding initiatives, and influence policymaking. This will support the capacity of these organisations to work with local communities and government authorities to improve in-country DRR capacity and resilience. The project will engage with these stakeholders at all stages of the research process to achieve maximum impact.
