Re-framing disaster risk: developing a disaster risk management framework for Bangladesh
Creators: name: Majeed, Saadia
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: This PhD thesis develops a comprehensive disaster risk management framework that is tailor-made for the strategic management of disasters in Bangladesh. It provides a background study of the concept of disaster risk management and its components and focuses on key disaster risk management issues associated with both international best practice and in the context of Bangladesh. To address this task, the research focuses on three main questions: i. Based on the critical analysis of existing international frameworks and national policy documents, what are their relevant features for the development of a disaster risk management framework for Bangladesh? ii. Based on the perception of the individuals who are affected by disasters and who are involved in the disaster risk management processes in Bangladesh, what components are required for an effective disaster risk management framework for Bangladesh? and iii. Based on the internationally existing knowledge base and local inputs, what components in combination should be incorporated in a comprehensive disaster risk management framework for Bangladesh? In order to answer these questions, this research adopts the theoretical approach of social constructivism that recognises disasters as socially constructed phenomena. Therefore, disaster risk management should be approached through an understanding of social and cultural processes, where the affected community members and others who are also involved in the process determine the basic constructs of disaster risk management. Using a qualitative research design most suited for the investigation of a complex phenomenon such as disaster, this research first explores the international development of the concept of disaster risk management and its components. It analyses the international, regional and national disaster risk management frameworks that have a potential influence on, or relevance for, Bangladesh. It explores the concept of disaster risk management and its components based on empirical data from field research in Bangladesh. Finally, based on the theoretical knowledge base created through the analysis of existing frameworks and the socio-cultural perspectives derived from field research, it develops a Comprehensive Framework for Disaster Risk Management for Bangladesh (CFDRMB). Furthermore, it develops qualitative benchmarks and process maps to guide the implementation of the framework. This framework will assist professionals and academics who are involved in the disaster risk management process and who are keen to implement disaster risk management programmes or projects more effectively, both in Bangladesh and elsewhere. The research significantly contributes to the body of knowledge that currently exists on disaster risk management in Bangladesh and internationally. This study is the first of its kind in Bangladesh to analyse the specific components that contribute to disaster risk management through a comprehensive framework developed using content analysis of existing frameworks and local-level insights of affected populations and practitioners. Thus, this thesis is a useful resource for engaged disaster risk management practitioners and researchers, because it presents a range of discourses of disaster risk management and details the generic components required for disaster risk management as a whole and specifically in the context of Bangladesh.