Development & Governance
Geography: Edexcel A Level, topic 1.2.4
Inequality
Development and governance are important in understanding the impact of a disaster, and the level of vulnerability and resilience of the area affected.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Test yourself on Development & Governance
What does HDI stand for?
Which of the following are characteristics of places with a low HDI (<0.55)?
What counts as having a low HDI score?
What is the word for splitting up land-use between different areas of a city to make sure there are no houses on unstable land?
Death tolls from natural disasters are higher in urban areas than rural areas. Why is this?