1.2.4

Development & Governance

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Inequality

Development and governance are important in understanding the impact of a disaster, and the level of vulnerability and resilience of the area affected.

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Inequality of access

  • Inequality of access to education, housing, healthcare and income are root causes of hazards because they influence vulnerability and resilience.
  • This inequality is seen in the PAR model.
  • The HDI (Human Development Index) measures this inequality.
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HDI and vulnerability

  • Locations with a low HDI (<0.55) have a high vulnerability because:
    • Many people lack basic things, like having enough water and food, even in ‘normal’ times.
    • A lot of housing is informally constructed with no regard for hazard resilience.
    • There is poor access to healthcare, so disease and illness are common.
    • Education levels are lower, so hazard perception and risk awareness are low.
    • After a disaster, the government may not be able to provide social security or free healthcare for low-income groups.

Governance and Vulnerability to Disaster

Good governance can reduce disaster vulnerability.

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Good governance

  • If the government of a country is good at meeting the day-to-day needs of its population, the country will be less vulnerable to disasters.
  • The government should be meeting basic needs by providing sufficient food and water for its population.
  • It should also be tackling corruption and making sure that aid money is not taken by officials.
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Preparedness

  • Governments can reduce disaster vulnerability by being prepared. They can do this through:
    • Land-use planning and zoning to prevent house construction in dangerous areas.
    • Environmental management to prevent factors such as deforestation making the area more naturally dangerous.
    • Having effective monitoring systems.
    • Preparedness by providing education and community awareness programmes.
    • Having insurance.

Geographical Contexts and Vulnerability

Other geographical factors and contexts can influence vulnerability and resilience. The context of whether an event takes place in a developed, emerging or developing country is also important.

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Population factors

  • The number of people and how spread-out they are has an effect on how vulnerable they are to natural disasters.
  • Population density matters:
    • Highly populated areas may be hard to evacuate because there are so many people.
    • Isolated populations in places that are difficult to access may take a long time to reach.
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Urbanisation

  • In urban areas, death tolls can be high because of the concentration of people at risk.
  • But urban areas usually have more assets (hospitals, food stores and transport systems) than rural areas, which increases resilience.

Jump to other topics

1Tectonic Processes & Hazards

2Option 2A: Glaciated Landscapes & Change

3Option 2B: Coastal Landscapes & Change

4Globalisation

5Option 4A: Regenerating Places

6Option 4B: Diverse Places

7The Water Cycle & Water Insecurity (A2 only)

8The Carbon Cycle & Energy Security (A2 only)

9Superpowers (A2 only)

10Option 8A: Health & Human Rights (A2 only)

11Option 8B: Migration & Identity (A2 only)

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