CHAPTER 1:

VULNERABILITY and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Who are vulnerable?

How will we be able to build resilience?

The cyclone Phailan in India

The typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban

How will vulnerability be reduced?

1. Prevent disasters

2. Mitigate effects

3. Building resilience

4.

Changing land use lawsEducatingResponsive Institutions

Eyjafjallajokull Volcano erupted in Iceland in 2010

No loss of life

On going monitoring of seismic activity provided advance warning, rescue services and emergency plans was put into effect to evacuate the local population overnight.

COOL!

Iceland always have the best!

Who is vulnerable?

-A person or community or a country is vulnerable when there is a high risk of future deterioration in circumstances and achievements.-in an uncertain world, it is impossible to reduce risks to zero-thus, vulnerability is not the same as poverty. It means not lack or want but defencelessness, insecurity and exposure to risks, shocks and stress. –Robert Chambers-based on human development

Human Resilience

-people’s ability to cope and adjust with shocks as well as on the assistance that they may receive-

Human Development Perspective

Human Development

Is a process of enlarging people’schoices. The most critical ones areto lead a long and healthy life tobe educated and to enjoy adecent standard of living.

-people’s capability in minimizing adverse consequences from shocks

and persistent threats

Human Development Approach- Build the strength of individual and societies, suggest fundamental principles that can be followed and built into specific policies for reducing vulnerability and building resilience

People with higher dev’t with good health and education are more resilient than those uneducated, malnourished

Owning assets enables people to be protected when circumstances

deteriorate

Power relation affects people’s vulnerability

How do we then build resilience?

1. Widen our choices safely and freely

2. Active policies to build community

3. Remove barriers in individual expression

4. Strengthen norms to help others in need to build resilience

From Vulnerability to resilience relationship

VULNERABLE PEOPLE, VULNERABLE WORLD

VU

LNER

AB

ILIT

YThe poor, informal workers, socially excluded

Economic shocks, health shocks

Limited capabilities

Women, people with disabilities, migrants, minorities, children, the elderly, youth

Natural disasters, climate change, industrial hazards

Location, position in society, sensitive periods in the life cycle

Whole communities, regions

Conflict, civil unrest Low social cohesion, unresponsive institutions, poor governance

Vulnerable to what?

1. Economic risks

-lack private savings

-lack of financial assets

-sufficient protection through national policy

-global economic crisis

*unemployment in 2014 is more tan 11 percent in France*12.5 percent in Italy *28 percent in Greece and Spain*60 percent is Spain

2. Inequality

a. Income:

b. Health:

c. Education

-85 richest people in the world have the same wealth as the 3.5 billion poorest people

-income inequality in developing countries rose 11 percent

-sub Sahara Africa highest inequality in Health

South Asia highest inequality in Education

3. Health risks -expensive health care push Indians to poverty-40 percent borrow money for health care-35 percent fall into poverty because of having to pay for their care

4. Environmental and natural disasters

-climate change

-scarce water

-poor sanitation

-degraded land

-polluted soil

5. Food insecurity

-people are deprived due to high food price

-2008 global economic crisis

6. Physical Insecurity

-greatly affects human security

-gang fights, protests, violence

-WHO estimates 4,400 people die everyday because of international acts of violence

The why of vulnerability

Structurally Vulnerable

1. Poor

2. Minority and socially excluded groups

3. Indigenous groups

4. Elders

5. Poor households

**Rooted in the people’s position in society- their gender, ethnicity, race, job type or social status,

Choices and capabilities

-Choices depend on capabilities. An individual’s capabilities- all the things a person can do or be-determine the choices a person can make.

-thus, people are vulnerable when they lack sufficient core capabilities.

e.g. (1) Women who are economically independent tend to be less vulnerable than those who depend on others for sustenance.

(2) Illiterate and unskilled workers are vulnerable tan well educated because they have fewer work options

Since your choices are restricted, you Widen capabilities!

That’s how you lessen your vulnerability!

Policies and Collective Action

INDIVIDUAL-higher capabilities (specifically in education)-advance human agency (people’s capacity to make choices)

Which is a type of freedom (freedom to act)

people need to be free of social, institutional that inhibit their ability to act

SOCIETY-if social cohesion is not strong and there is ethnic and other fragmentation, a society’s capacity for collective action is much reduced in responding to adverse events

In a Socially cohesive society: GOVERNMENT

SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS

SUPPORT VULNERABLE

In a divided society:

SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS

PARTICULAR GROUP

INTERNATIONAL ACTION

NATIONAL POLICIES

interdependent

Determine the scope and efficacy of NATIONAL responses to major crises.