| 1. |
- Koivisto, Jenni, 1980-
(author)
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Navigating in the Midst of Uncertainties : Challenges in Disaster Risk Governance in Mozambique
- 2018
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Disasters cause heavy losses for societies and may quickly erode any development efforts. Consequently, disaster risk reduction (DRR) is an integral part of development work that should be addressed at multiple levels. Global DRR frameworks, scholars and practitioners all advocate disaster risk governance (DRG) strategies that are multi-stakeholder, polycentric and multisectoral. While various substantive knowledge gaps and questions arising from multiple risks and the crosscutting nature of DRR have been relatively well addressed, uncertainties relating to multiple DRR actors operating and collaborating at different scales have gained less attention in previous studies.This thesis investigates the uncertainties in DRG in Mozambique, a low-income country that regularly faces natural hazards. These hazards often cause heavy loss of life and livelihoods and economic damage. The four articles that together constitute this thesis focus on different sets of uncertainties and factors that have constrained or allowed Mozambique to take major steps in this policy area. By exploring strategic and institutional uncertainties related to stakeholder involvement, coordination and policy disputes, this thesis reveals different challenges and opportunities that affect DRR policymaking in Mozambique.This thesis concludes that Mozambique has managed to take important steps in DRR. However, as a consequence of the different challenges to DRR practice in Mozambique, policymaking can be short-sighted and makes slow progress, thus increasing the disconnect between theory, policies and practice. This thesis thus argues that DRG research and practice need to better take into account power-relations; coordination and capacity issues; and responsibilities and transparency across scales, both in Mozambique and elsewhere.
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| 2. |
- Persson Pavlović, Erik, 1985-
(author)
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The weakest link : Governing the risk of floods and dam failure in Sweden
- 2023
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The effects of climate change are already being felt today, and future effects, which will be determined by the readiness and resolve of today’s world leaders, are fraught with high levels of complexity, uncertainty, ambiguity, and transboundary effects – characteristics of systemic risk. Since climate change is seen as a threat multiplier, the risks that might be impacted by climate change, such as floods and dam failure, will be affected by systemic risk characteristics as well. Recent literature on risk governance calls for a more inclusive approach to address the challenges of systemic risks. Sweden has adopted the Sendai Framework, which aims to reduce disaster risk and strengthen societal resilience through a more people-centered approach. Sweden can be expected to have the resources and institutional structures needed to be able to implement the framework at a high level. However, evaluations of recent crises have shown a discrepancy between what can be expected and actual performance. This thesis aims to increase the understanding of contextual barriers to and drivers of inclusive risk governance, with a focus on responsibilities, (mandated) collaboration, and stakeholder participation, as an approach to increase societal resilience against disaster and systemic risk. The aim is reached by studying flood-related systemic risks and their governance. Three distinct, qualitative case studies focusing on different aspects of the Swedish disaster risk reduction and risk governance systems in relation to the risk of floods and dam failure are the empirical foundation for the four papers that are appended in the thesis. The thesis concludes that there is a need for a change in how resilience is framed, as part of a paradigm shift to a discourse that views resilience as a measure of adaptive capacity, and a change in how systemic risks should be understood and governed, as part of a paradigm shift to an inclusive risk governance framework.
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| 3. |
- Rydstedt Nyman, Monika, 1961-
(author)
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Organizational Lessons Learned : Natural Hazards Affecting Critical Infrastructure
- 2018
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Artistic work (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This thesis focuses on an issue often presented as a solution – albeit a debated one – namely learning, specifically lessons learned from natural hazard events. Empirically, this thesis examines flooding and avalanches in a Swedish context, centering on systematic feedback mechanisms and learning from extreme events. Opportunities to and constraints affecting learning and knowledge sharing are discussed.The thesis comprises four papers, collectively contributing a description of aspects of learning and feedback in a case study setting of the Swedish Transport Administration (STA) [Trafikverket], and providing an understanding of the present level of knowledge and awareness of climate change related natural hazards, as well as how knowledge sharing may give incentives and understanding for change. The notion of social learning is that individuals, groups, and organizations (and ultimately society) can learn from one another in a context, i.e. fostering mutual change. The goal of learning and using feedback is to create an opportunity to address changes in a thoughtful and explicit manner. At the same time, there is an implicit idea that learning occurs automatically somehow, which is problematized on the basis of the cases in the articles.An interdisciplinary approach was adopted to obtain understanding of lessons learned related to natural hazards affecting critical infrastructure in Sweden. Interdiciplinarity refers to the use of theories from different research fields to achieve synergies in the search for explanations and useful understanding. The different objectives and aims of each paper have increased understanding of mechanisms related to aspects of feedback, learning and knowledge sharing after natural hazard impacts. Each paper also provides examples of opportunities and constraints to feedback mechanisms and learning in a collective context.
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