Disasters and Social Capital: Risk Reduction and Geographical Legacies in the Philippines [Hardcover]

This book analyzes social capital and preparations for natural hazards in the Philippines, arguing that economic inequality is detrimental to social capital which then? makes societies more at risk of having natural hazards turn into disasters. It features a?case study of a rural municipality in the Eastern Visayas region.

In Disasters and Social Capital, Justin Veuthey weaves a riveting narrative that explores the complex interplay between natural hazards, social capital, and economic inequality.

A remote municipality of the Philippines exposed to regular typhoons, earthquakes, and landslides provides the vivid backdrop for the powerful examination of how historical, political, and socio-cultural forces shape the dynamics of disaster preparedness and resilience. Through this lens and from different geographical levels, the book reveals how social capital is both a resource and a source of exclusion, and how vulnerabilities are intricately tied to local governance systems and economic structures.

This book is a vital contribution to the growing fields of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA), offering crucial insights for those engaged in bridging the science-policy-practice divide. More than just a scientific study, it deepens our understanding of how intersectional vulnerabilitiesshaped by class, ethnicity, and political powercompound vulnerabilities to natural hazards. Equally important, the book illuminates the ways in which local communities and institutions are building the capacities necessary to navigate these challenges and forge more resilient futures.

For students, scholars, disaster risk management practitioners, policy makers, and anyone sl³.