Pinning down vulnerability: from narratives to numbers |
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| Authors: | Daanish Mustafa Sara Ahmed Eva Saroch Heather Bell |
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| Institution: | 1. Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geography, King's College London, London, United Kingdom;2. Senior Programme Specialist (Agriculture and Environment) at the International Development Research Center, New Delhi, India;3. Research Associate at the Institute for Social and Environmental Transition, Hyderabad, India;4. Science Advisor at the Pacific Disaster Center, Kihei, Hawaii, United States. |
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| Abstract: | Social vulnerability analyses have typically relied upon narratives to capture the nuances of the concept. While narratives have enhanced our understanding of the multiple drivers of vulnerability, they have had limited influence on hazards and climate adaptation policy. This is partially a function of the different needs and goals of the policy and research communities. The former prioritises generalised quantitative information, while the latter is more concerned with capturing complexity. A theoretically driven and empirically tested quantitative vulnerability and capacities index (VCI) for use at the local scale is presented to help connect vulnerability research and policy. There are four versions of the index for use in rural and urban contexts at the household and community levels. There can be an infinite number of drivers of vulnerability, but the VCI draws upon 12 indicators to represent material, institutional and attitudinal aspects of differential vulnerability and capacities. |
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| Keywords: | adaptation coastal Gujarat disaster risk reduction local scale quantitative vulnerability and capacities index |
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