Research investigating the relationship of climate change to the intensity of climate change to the intensity and frequency of flooding at a regional level will be indispensable if countries over the globe are to adapt to a warming climate. Indeed, weather-related extreme events may be one of the costliest consequences of climate change. Even without climate change, Europe and the world will likely face a dramatic rise in weather-related damages. Our knowledge about climate change and other factors contributing to extreme events and their consequences is improving, but this knowledge will prove insufficient if institutions and democratic procedures are not in place to respond to the risks.
Research investigating the relationship of climate change to the intensity of climate change to the intensity and frequency of flooding at a regional level will be indispensable if countries over the globe are to adapt to a warming climate. Indeed, weather-related extreme events may be one of the costliest consequences of climate change. Even without climate change, Europe and the world will likely face a dramatic rise in weather-related damages. Our knowledge about climate change and other factors contributing to extreme events and their consequences is improving, but this knowledge will prove insufficient if institutions and democratic procedures are not in place to respond to the risks.
Strategies and measures for disaster risk reduction (DRR) are not being implemented at the scale called for by the Hyogo Framework of Action. Part of the problem is that, from the perspective of decision makers with resource constraints, it is risky to invest in something that reaps benefits only in the case of a relatively unlikely event (such as a hurricane or a drought). People and institutions are understandably prone to invest in choices that yield less uncertain benefits. DRR, in itself, can be perceived as a risky endeavor - especially from the financial perspective. One way to circumvent this problem is by promoting DRR through incentives and other features embedded in market-based financial instruments, which offer financial stability or reliable access to funds to help cope with the consequences of extreme events. Since not all risks can be cost-effectively reduced, especially those that occur only very rarely, forward-thinking DRR stakeholders tend to seek options for financing the remaining or residual risks. Insurance and other disaster risk sharing approaches can serve households, national governments and humanitarian or development organizations, not only to complement ex ante DRR by ensuring or accelerating financing for post-disaster activities (like relief, recovery and reconstruction), but also as a conduit for ex ante DRR, guiding investment decisions that would result in fewer losses if a disaster materializes in the future. The objective of this paper is to assist disaster risk reduction stakeholders analyze whether - and how - insurance and other market-based risk transfer instruments can help increase resilience to disasters.
Strategies and measures for disaster risk reduction (DRR) are not being implemented at the scale called for by the Hyogo Framework of Action. Part of the problem is that, from the perspective of decision makers with resource constraints, it is risky to invest in something that reaps benefits only in the case of a relatively unlikely event (such as a hurricane or a drought). People and institutions are understandably prone to invest in choices that yield less uncertain benefits. DRR, in itself, can be perceived as a risky endeavor - especially from the financial perspective. One way to circumvent this problem is by promoting DRR through incentives and other features embedded in market-based financial instruments, which offer financial stability or reliable access to funds to help cope with the consequences of extreme events. Since not all risks can be cost-effectively reduced, especially those that occur only very rarely, forward-thinking DRR stakeholders tend to seek options for financing the remaining or residual risks. Insurance and other disaster risk sharing approaches can serve households, national governments and humanitarian or development organizations, not only to complement ex ante DRR by ensuring or accelerating financing for post-disaster activities (like relief, recovery and reconstruction), but also as a conduit for ex ante DRR, guiding investment decisions that would result in fewer losses if a disaster materializes in the future. The objective of this paper is to assist disaster risk reduction stakeholders analyze whether - and how - insurance and other market-based risk transfer instruments can help increase resilience to disasters.
The environmental deterioration of the Danube River basin calls for unprecedented cooperation among the ten riparian and seven non-riparian basin countries, the majority of which are undergoing major economic and political transformations after the breakup of the Soviet Union. This paper discusses the recent legal and institutional developments along with the political hurdles leading to a post-Soviet regime for managing the Danube River and promoting sustainable development in the basin. After reviewing the geography and ecology, the conflicts and political issues of the Danube, the current efforts at building cooperative institutions are discussed. The question whether the Danube will be exclusively the responsibility of the basin countries, will include the Russian Federation and other countries of the Black Sea, or will be the responsibility of pan-European institutions in close connection with the European Union is addressed.
The environmental deterioration of the Danube River basin calls for unprecedented cooperation among the ten riparian and seven non-riparian basin countries, the majority of which are undergoing major economic and political transformations after the breakup of the Soviet Union. This paper discusses the recent legal and institutional developments along with the political hurdles leading to a post-Soviet regime for managing the Danube River and promoting sustainable development in the basin. After reviewing the geography and ecology, the conflicts and political issues of the Danube, the current efforts at building cooperative institutions are discussed. The question whether the Danube will be exclusively the responsibility of the basin countries, will include the Russian Federation and other countries of the Black Sea, or will be the responsibility of pan-European institutions in close connection with the European Union is addressed.
The environmental deterioration of the Danube River basin calls for unprecedented cooperation among the ten riparian and seven non-riparian basin countries, the majority of which are undergoing major economic and political transformations after the breakup of the Soviet Union. This paper discusses the recent legal and institutional developments along with the political hurdles leading to a post-Soviet regime for managing the Danube River and promoting sustainable development in the basin. After reviewing the geography and ecology, the conflicts and political issues of the Danube, the current efforts at building cooperative institutions are discussed. The question whether the Danube will be exclusively the responsibility of the basin countries, will include the Russian Federation and other countries of the Black Sea, or will be the responsibility of pan-European institutions in close connection with the European Union is addressed.
The environmental deterioration of the Danube River basin calls for unprecedented cooperation among the ten riparian and seven non-riparian basin countries, the majority of which are undergoing major economic and political transformations after the breakup of the Soviet Union. This paper discusses the recent legal and institutional developments along with the political hurdles leading to a post-Soviet regime for managing the Danube River and promoting sustainable development in the basin. After reviewing the geography and ecology, the conflicts and political issues of the Danube, the current efforts at building cooperative institutions are discussed. The question whether the Danube will be exclusively the responsibility of the basin countries, will include the Russian Federation and other countries of the Black Sea, or will be the responsibility of pan-European institutions in close connection with the European Union is addressed.
With the escalating costs of landslides, the challenge for local authorities is to develop institutional arrangements for landslide risk management that are viewed as efficient, feasible and fair by those affected. For this purpose, the participation of stakeholders in the decision-making process is mandated by the European Union as a way of improving its perceived legitimacy and transparency. This paper report on an analytical-deliberative process for selecting landslide risk mitigation measures in the town of Nocera Inferiore in southern Italy. The process was structured as a series of meetings with a group of selected residents and several parallel activities open to the public. The preparatory work included a literature/media review, semi-structured interviews carried out with key local stakeholders and a survey eliciting residents' views on landslide risk management. The main point of departure in the design of this process was the explicit elicitation and structuring of multiple worldviews (or perspectives) among the participants with respect to the nature of the problem and its solution. Rather than eliciting preferences using decision analyticl methods (e.g. utility theory or multi-criteria evaluation), this process built on a body of research - based on the theory of plural rationality - that has teased out the limited number of contending and socially constructed definitions of problem-and-solution that are able to achieve viability. This framing proved effective in structuring participants' views and arriving at a 'compromise' recommendation (not, as is often aimed for, a 'consensus') on measures for reducing landslide risk. Experts played a unique role in this process by providing a range of policy options that corresponded to the different perspetives held by the participants.
With the escalating costs of landslides, the challenge for local authorities is to develop institutional arrangements for landslide risk management that are viewed as efficient, feasible and fair by those affected. For this purpose, the participation of stakeholders in the decision-making process is mandated by the European Union as a way of improving its perceived legitimacy and transparency. This paper report on an analytical-deliberative process for selecting landslide risk mitigation measures in the town of Nocera Inferiore in southern Italy. The process was structured as a series of meetings with a group of selected residents and several parallel activities open to the public. The preparatory work included a literature/media review, semi-structured interviews carried out with key local stakeholders and a survey eliciting residents' views on landslide risk management. The main point of departure in the design of this process was the explicit elicitation and structuring of multiple worldviews (or perspectives) among the participants with respect to the nature of the problem and its solution. Rather than eliciting preferences using decision analyticl methods (e.g. utility theory or multi-criteria evaluation), this process built on a body of research - based on the theory of plural rationality - that has teased out the limited number of contending and socially constructed definitions of problem-and-solution that are able to achieve viability. This framing proved effective in structuring participants' views and arriving at a 'compromise' recommendation (not, as is often aimed for, a 'consensus') on measures for reducing landslide risk. Experts played a unique role in this process by providing a range of policy options that corresponded to the different perspetives held by the participants.
Energy transition towards a more significant share of domestically generated resources will inevitably lead to a societal transformation, which will affect the interests of existing and emerging electricity generation industries and other stakeholders. To be sustainable, such transition should also address issues of environmental protection and contribution to socio-economic development. A reasonable assumption is that human factors play an important role in energy transition. These human factors include perceptions of different risks connected with technological deployment, as well as views about benefits and impacts generated by different technologies. We present a multi-stakeholder multi-criteria approach to assess the relevance of the Jordan's electricity generation technologies against a set of criteria under uncertainty, which reflect environmental, social and economic components of sustainable development. The results show that the discourse in the Jordanian society is currently dominated by economic rationality, such as electricity costs, supported by concerns about safety during operation and maintenance of electricity generation power plants. The results also show the strong desire of all stakeholder groups to have an opportunity to engage in decision-making processes on energy transition rather than purely to compensate local communities for the installation of electricity generation and transmission technologies.
Energy transition towards a more significant share of domestically generated resources will inevitably lead to a societal transformation, which will affect the interests of existing and emerging electricity generation industries and other stakeholders. To be sustainable, such transition should also address issues of environmental protection and contribution to socio-economic development. A reasonable assumption is that human factors play an important role in energy transition. These human factors include perceptions of different risks connected with technological deployment, as well as views about benefits and impacts generated by different technologies. We present a multi-stakeholder multi-criteria approach to assess the relevance of the Jordan's electricity generation technologies against a set of criteria under uncertainty, which reflect environmental, social and economic components of sustainable development. The results show that the discourse in the Jordanian society is currently dominated by economic rationality, such as electricity costs, supported by concerns about safety during operation and maintenance of electricity generation power plants. The results also show the strong desire of all stakeholder groups to have an opportunity to engage in decision-making processes on energy transition rather than purely to compensate local communities for the installation of electricity generation and transmission technologies.
This paper examines recent experience with insurance and other risk-financing instruments in developing countries, informed by experience in developed countries, to provide insights on the effectiveness of insurance for reducing economic insecurity. Insurance and other risk financing strategies are viewed in the overall context of risk management, including the prevention of losses as well as financing the recovery process through risk pooling and transfer strategies. Specific examples of public-private insurance programs for households/businesses, farms and governments are described, including their limitations, especially in light of recent post-Katrina experience in the US. By examining the costs, benefits and risks of public-private risk-financing programs, insights are provided on the effectiveness of insurance as a mechanism for providing economic security to vulnerable communities and governments.
This paper examines recent experience with insurance and other risk-financing instruments in developing countries, informed by experience in developed countries, to provide insights on the effectiveness of insurance for reducing economic insecurity. Insurance and other risk financing strategies are viewed in the overall context of risk management, including the prevention of losses as well as financing the recovery process through risk pooling and transfer strategies. Specific examples of public-private insurance programs for households/businesses, farms and governments are described, including their limitations, especially in light of recent post-Katrina experience in the US. By examining the costs, benefits and risks of public-private risk-financing programs, insights are provided on the effectiveness of insurance as a mechanism for providing economic security to vulnerable communities and governments.
The both polycentric governance and Living Labs concepts are based on decentralized participatory planning, co-design, and decisionmaking. While the concept of Living Lab is still emerging, the Isar-Plan (2000 ~ 2011) pioneered the approach for selecting, co-designing, and implementing nature-based solutions along the Isar River in Munich, Germany. Despite multiple governing authorities involved in the decisionmaking process of the Isar-Plan, the polycentric governance that led to the success of the project has to date not been analyzed. This paper presents the results of an ex-post-analysis of the Isar-Plan restoration planning process based on stakeholder interviews and a literature review. The contribution describes the evolution of Isar-Plan governance arrangements and discusses the Living Lab approaches to cooperative governance. The analysis demonstrates how polycentricity facilitated trust, learning, and the co-design of a resilient waterscape. The paper concludes that Living Labs can be a way of applying polycentric governance when autonomous and multi-scale decision-makers are collaboratively involved in the design of policy solutions, and vice-versa.
