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Social capital in disaster risk management; a case study of social capital mobilization following the 1934 Kathmandu Valley earthquake in Nepal

Social capital in disaster risk management; a case study of social capital mobilization following... Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how social capital operated in the lives of 15 respondents from Lalitpur following the massive 1934 Kathmandu Valley earthquake. Based on experiences of the survivors, it attempts to understand how individuals and families utilized their social capital in the aftermath of the earthquake, and rebuild their lives and communities. Design/methodology/approach – This is a qualitative study based on non‐structured interviews and discussions with disaster victims on their own locality. Following Padgett's (2008) grounded theory approach, flexible method of data collection is adopted through interactions with respondents and following up on important cues or patterns as additional data emerged. Findings – Participants described a process through which they relied on bonding, bridging and linking social capital in different stages of earthquake response and recovery. Close ties or bonding social capital were important for immediate support, but bridging and linking social capital offered pathways to longer term survival and wider neighbourhood and community revitalization. This paper also discusses how social capital inclusion in pre‐disaster communities might be helpful to strengthen their response capacity. Research limitations/implications – As the study participants were less than ten years old when the earthquake happened, they might have omitted or overlooked some important details about the event. The findings are based not only on participant's own memories, but they also shared stories told by their parents which were the indirect experiences. Practical implications – This study indicates the potential value and need for including bonding, bridging and linking social capital and traditional social networks in disaster planning. A key outcome related to disaster policy would be what institutional condition or combinations of different dimensions of social capital may serve the public for better disaster response and recovery. Originality/value – This study has paid attention to how social capital might be useful in disaster risk reduction both in post‐disaster phase and in pre‐disaster condition which may be rare in disaster studies. It also provides an insight into how community‐based disaster management can take into account pre‐existing social systems and traditional social networks to build local capacities. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Disaster Prevention and Management Emerald Publishing

Social capital in disaster risk management; a case study of social capital mobilization following the 1934 Kathmandu Valley earthquake in Nepal

Roshan Bhakta Bhandari
Disaster Prevention and Management , Volume 23 (4): 15 – Jul 29, 2014
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Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2014 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
0965-3562
DOI
10.1108/DPM-06-2013-0105
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how social capital operated in the lives of 15 respondents from Lalitpur following the massive 1934 Kathmandu Valley earthquake. Based on experiences of the survivors, it attempts to understand how individuals and families utilized their social capital in the aftermath of the earthquake, and rebuild their lives and communities. Design/methodology/approach – This is a qualitative study based on non‐structured interviews and discussions with disaster victims on their own locality. Following Padgett's (2008) grounded theory approach, flexible method of data collection is adopted through interactions with respondents and following up on important cues or patterns as additional data emerged. Findings – Participants described a process through which they relied on bonding, bridging and linking social capital in different stages of earthquake response and recovery. Close ties or bonding social capital were important for immediate support, but bridging and linking social capital offered pathways to longer term survival and wider neighbourhood and community revitalization. This paper also discusses how social capital inclusion in pre‐disaster communities might be helpful to strengthen their response capacity. Research limitations/implications – As the study participants were less than ten years old when the earthquake happened, they might have omitted or overlooked some important details about the event. The findings are based not only on participant's own memories, but they also shared stories told by their parents which were the indirect experiences. Practical implications – This study indicates the potential value and need for including bonding, bridging and linking social capital and traditional social networks in disaster planning. A key outcome related to disaster policy would be what institutional condition or combinations of different dimensions of social capital may serve the public for better disaster response and recovery. Originality/value – This study has paid attention to how social capital might be useful in disaster risk reduction both in post‐disaster phase and in pre‐disaster condition which may be rare in disaster studies. It also provides an insight into how community‐based disaster management can take into account pre‐existing social systems and traditional social networks to build local capacities.

Journal

Disaster Prevention and Management – Emerald Publishing

Published: Jul 29, 2014

Keywords: Social capital; Nepal; Disaster risk management; Earthquakes; Community organizations; The 1934 Kathmandu Valley earthquake

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