6. Engaging with communities Flashcards
3 key concepts of Community-Based DRR
1) Participation
2) Risk perception
3) Behavioural change
What is a community?
A social group which has a number of things in common such as shared experience, locality, culture, heritage and social interests.
Politics and financial disparities exist in most villages and neighbourhoods so, it becomes important to identify shared values and concerns.
3/6 Key characteristics of CBDRR (1)
- Community members are the main actors and beneficiaries - their participation is important
- Most vulnerable groups are prioritised e.g. urban poor/informal settlers, rural farmers elderly, disabled etc
- Risk reduction measures are community specific - relate to local hazard and vulnerability drivers & community perceptions and capacities.
3/6 Key characteristics CBDRR (2)
- Existing capacities are recognised e.g. local knowledge, traditional wisdom, resources, family ties etc.
- DRR is linked to development - aim of CBDRR to strengthen capacities and address risks
- Outsiders have supporting and facilitating roles - gov, experts, NGOs etc. support community members
What constitutes ‘participation’ in DRR?
The engagement of the affected population in one or more aspects of the project cycle (assessment, design, implementation etc.)
Factors affecting community participation: The community (7)
1) Community cohesion
2) Political issues and conflicts
3) Capacity, time and resources
4) Previous experiences of community projects
5) External organisations involved
6) Culture
7) Social and cultural organisation
Factors affecting community participation: External actors (7)
1) Organisational and political mandate
2) Access to community
3) Security and safety
4) Scope of the project
5) Resources
6) Time
7) Language
3 approaches to community participation
1) Instrumental approaches - community participation is seen as a means of achieving project objectives. Alltho this can lead to capacity development, this is not an objective in itself. Just getting info from the community to guide designs.
2) Collaborative approaches - based on an exchange of resources throughout the project to reach shared objectives.
- implementing agency aims to build community capacity and learn from it
- communities may act via existing formal structures, or create temporary structures for the purpose of the project
3) Supportive approaches - recognise work through and build existing or potential community capacities
- external agencies provide technical/financial/material support for the community to undertake their own projects
Opposite of instrumental, external organisations take a backseat and provide assistance when needed.
7 types of participation in specific project activities
- citizen power*
1. Local initiatives
2. Interactive
3. Supply labour, cash or materials - varying degrees of tokenism*
4. Given material incentives
5. Consulted - non-participation*
6. Informed
7. Passive or manipulated
4 factors affecting the approach and types of participation adopted
- The level of technical knowledge required
- Project scope and community risk perceptions
- Who has ‘decision-making power’
- Policy and financial constraints
Top-down approaches vs. Bottom up approaches
We need to integrate these!
Top-down:
Hazard and science focused behavioural & engineering approaches to DRR supported by policy-makers. Scientific knowledge//outside actors (scientists, NGOs, gov etc)//top-down initiatives
vs.
Bottom-up:
Vulnerability and social science-focused development approaches with emergence of community-based DRR, CBDRR. Local knowledge//inside actors (communities, marginalised groups//bottom-up initiatives
Integrate: Risk assessment –> dialogue –> action –> DRR
2 methods of investigating local components/drivers of risk and community capacities
What model are they structured around?
What are they used for?
Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (VCA)
Participatory Assessment of Disaster Risk (PADR)
Often structured around the elements of PAR, can be used to raise awareness of DR, allow different voices to be heard, provide info for the design of DRR actions, engage and empower communities, introduce DRR innovations and EMBED BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE
What are the 7 rungs on the ladder of adoption and what does it describe
How can we move from an awareness of a general problem to adopting behavioural change
1) Awareness of a general problem
2) Interest in a specific problem
3) Knowledge of how to change the situation
4) Attitude to accept the innovation
5) Legitimisation within social norms
6) Putting into practice before adopting
7) Adopting - behavioural change
Motivating factors (3)
Risk perception: what is the hazard and does it pose a threat
Critical awareness of the hazard: how much time do I spend thinking/talking about the hazard relative to other hazards
Hazard anxiety: how much destruction/death might the hazard cause
Intention formation factors (beliefs) (4)
Outcome expectancy: will my actions be effective in reducing the problem
Self efficacy: do I have the capacity to act effectively?
Problem focused coping: will I try and confront the problem
Response efficacy: are there enough resources to allow me to confront the problem?
