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USING HUMAN SECURITY CONCEPT FOR ANALYSING
IMPACTS OF NATURAL DISASTERS
Mg.sc.pol. RIHARDS BAMBALSPhD student | Department of Political Science |
University of Latvia
International Conference “World in Change: from Consumption to Sustainability, from
Competition to Collaboration, from Hierarchy to Networks, from being Good to Doing Good”
Riga, 19 May 2014
Contact me: [email protected]
Contact me: [email protected]
What is a DISASTER?
“An event concentrated in time and space, in which a society or one of its subdivisions undergoes physical harm and social disruption, such that some essential functions of the society or subdivision are impaired” (Fritz, 1961: 655);
“Events that kill at least 10 or affect at least 100 people” (UNDP, 1994: 29);
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What is a DISASTER? (II)
“(1) disasters are inherently social phenomena, and (2) the source of disasters is rooted in the social structure or social system” (Quarantelli, 2005:339);
“If there are no negative social consequences, there is no disaster” (Quarantelli, 2005:347);
“(Disaster) risk faced by people must be seen as a cross-cutting combination of vulnerability and hazard. Disasters are a result of the interaction between both” (Risk=Hazard x Vulnerability) (Wisner, Blaikie, Cannon & Davis, 2004:49)
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What is a DISASTER? (III)
No one discipline (inter-disciplinary research in both social & natural sciences)
No ultimate definition of disasterNo ‘disaster theory’No ultimate research methodologyCommon approach – social
consequences of disasters more important than physical harm:
1) Social Sciences research people and societies;2) Only social structures can be strengthened to enhance
disaster preparedness, mitigation and recovery
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What is HUMAN SECURITY? People-centric, comprehensive and
universal security concept Development studies & Security Studies UNDP Human Development Report 1994:
‘Freedom from want’ & ‘Freedom from fear’ ‘Safety from such chronic threats as hunger, disease
and repression’ & ‘protection from sudden and hurtful disruptions in the patterns of daily life – whether in homes, jobs or in communities’ (UNDP, 1994:23)
7 security dimensions: economic, food, health, environmental, personal, community, political security
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Shortcomings of Human Security (HS):
No commonly accepted definitionToo vague as a concept (more efforts on
widening than deepening)No one particular scientific disciplinePoor efforts to operationalize & measure
Human Security (“How much (in)security?”)The comprehensive nature of HS has been
constantly ignored (mostly used ONLY in LDCs)
Only few attempts to use for disaster research
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‘Perfect marriage’=Disasters+Human security Outcasts (no discipline) → interdisciplinary research Common interests → human, society Unfinished → room for improvements/new scientific
approaches & models Society’s resilience (HS) is hard to test
without external impact (e.g. natural disasters)
Objectives: ▪ Create new analytical tool/approach for disaster
research▪ Deepen Human Security concept, prove its holistic nature
and possibilities to apply to any society in the world▪ Longterm: research which (and why) societies are
more resilient to natural disasters than other
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Measuring Human Security
Previous attempts:
•UNDP Reports (Human Security Unit, 2009);•Generalized Poverty Index (King & Murray, 2002);•Human Security Audit (Bajpai, 2000);•GECHS (Lonergan, Gustavson & Carter, 2009);•Human Security Report Index;•Human Security Mapping (Owen, 2004).
HOWEVERall suffer from various shortfalls:
•Only objective HS is measured;•Too big reliance
on data availability;•Only some (not
all) of 7 HS dimensions are analysed;•Only LDCs are
usually researched
Objective HS:
Subjective HS:
• Statistics & indexes• Several indicators for each of 7 HS dimensions, compared before & after disaster• Values assigned based on comparisons (0-1)
•Social surveys & interviews•Socially constructed sense of security;• Precise, quantifiable and inter-comparable results•Fast & representable
&
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Human Security Analytical Tool
1. UNDP Report 1994:definition of HS &7 dimensions of HS threats
2. UNDP Latvia Report 2003: Subjective & Objective HS; ‘securitabilities’;personal security strategies;security constellations3. Comprehensive HS
model (Ozolina, 2012): interaction between state & individual,role of intermediaries, area of HS
Objective HS: Case of Japan after 3/11
Subjective Human Security :Case of Latvia (Ogre, April 2013)
Timeframe of the floods: 15 to 19 April 2013People and households affected (officially): 1 deceased and 23 people evacuated, 39 indemnification applications and 120 households affected/damagedThe scale of damages: ~2 000 000 Lats (3 million Euro)Main providers of security: • State-provided – VUGD, police, emergency medical aid
and National Guard (armed forces)• Non-conventional - local religious community, Red Cross,
local NGOs, private entrepreneurs, enterprises & individuals
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Subjective Human Security :Case of Latvia (Ogre, April 2013)
Population size: 28 151 (Ogre town + Ogresgals = affected regions)
Initial target: 1% of the population (281). Samples (~50 each) from 6 different districts: 3 (50%) from directly affected (close proximity to the river); 3 (50%) from indirectly affected
Surveying time: 4 to 19 May, 2013 (2-4 weeks after the floods)
Results: N=270 (0.96% of population; 38.52% men and 61.11% woman), Margin of error = 5.9% (with 95% level of confidence)
Questionnaire with 8 questions (all close ended multiple choice):
Self evaluation of HS changes (each of 7 dimensions) after floods; Evaluation of the assistance provided, Trust to different security providers, Intensity of HS threat perception, Demographics, proximity to the river, filtering question.
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Results: Changes in 7 HS dimensions (ranked)
Human Security Dimension
Affected by the floods in Ogre (2013)
1. Environmental security
59.26%
2. Food security 30.56%
3. Personal security 29.63%
4. Health security 24.08%
5. Economic security 22.41%
6. Community security 22.22%
7. Political security 5.93%
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Contact me: [email protected]
Trust to security providers
Security provider Level of trust
1. Family, closest relatives 94.07%
2. Own strength 89.63%
3. Friends, acquaintances 88.89%
4. Service of the state for rescue and fire-fighting (VUGD)
82.97%
5. Emergency medical aid 79.26%
6. Police of the local municipality
67.41%
7. National Guard (armed forces)
60.74%
8. The municipality of Ogre region
35.19%
9. Aid from an international organization (EU, NATO, UN, etc.)
29.63%
10. Aid from another country 24.82%
11. Latvian government 21.11%
Conclusions & way-forward
Human Security has potential to become a new approach for disaster research. It allows: Identify & measure, which security dimension (and how much) is affected; Measure changes in public perception of different threats; Measure society’s trust/confidence to state & non-state security providers.
Disasters & Human Security apply to any country → HS analytical tool is holistic & universal
Disasters ≠ homogenous. They can (and do) affect each of 7 HS dimensions HS changes after disaster → quality of ‘securitabilities’ before it
(knowledge and skills for not losing sense of security, or its fast recovery) States investing in HS have more resilient societies
(Japan) People around & networking matter more than state
provided security constellations (good or dangerous?)
Contact me: [email protected]
Contact me: [email protected]
Conclusions & way-forward (II)
Human Security analytical tool could be used in: Academic – improve knowledge on disasters and
Human Security concept; Policy – better disaster preparedness, risk
mitigation and recovery; Insurances - risk evaluation; Finances - foreign investment (risk) analysis Development – medium/long-term state
development strategies (Latvian NAP, 2014-2020) Foreign policy/international relations – smarter
development aid programmes (Japan, Canada, Norway)
Contact me: [email protected]
Conclusions & way-forward (II)
What I do for my PhD thesis research? “Changes of Human Security after disasters
in Japan, Phillippines, Australia and Poland”;
Comparative analysis of Objective HS = done. Searching options for researching Subjective HS (nation-wide surveying, incl. Japan);
Results will allow to identify, which states are more resilient to disasters, and which factors (and ‘securitabilities’) influence it. Can they be adapted in other states? Formula for sustainable development?
