Inequalities in the adaptive cycle: reorganizing after disasters in an unequal world

• Published in: Ecology and society Vol. 27; no. 4; p. 10
• Main Authors: Dade, Marie, Downing, Andrea, Benessaiah, Karina, Falardeau, Marianne, Lin, Mi, Rieb, Jesse, Rocha, Juan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ottawa Resilience Alliance 01.12.2022
• Subjects: Adaptive systems; Case studies; Disaster recovery; Disaster relief; Disasters; Earthquakes; Ecological models; Ecological studies; Ecosystems; Hazard identification; Inequality; Influence; Low income groups; modeling; natural hazards; panarchy; Recovery plans; Reorganization; Resilience; Social inequality; Social-ecological systems; transformations
• ISSN: 1708-3087; 1708-3087
• DOI: 10.5751/ES-13456-270410

Natural hazards can trigger disasters that lead to the collapse and reorganization of social-ecological systems. This reorganization can involve systems transitioning to more positive trajectories. The Panarchy framework, which conceptualizes social-ecological systems as dynamic interrelated adaptive cycles, is a common conceptual framework for understanding system reorganization. However, it is unclear how inequalities, social mechanisms known to influence disaster recovery outcomes, shape a system's adaptive cycle post-disaster. Understanding the roles of inequalities can help develop social-ecological models to identify processes that build resilience into disaster recovery. We applied the Panarchy framework to inform propositions describing how inequalities can influence the reorganization of social-ecological systems after disasters triggered by natural hazards. We qualitatively analyzed a selection of case studies that discussed inequalities pre- and post-disasters and related these to adaptive-cycle system characteristics (i.e., potential, connectedness, and resilience). We identified three propositions: 1) The ability of groups to reorganize after a disaster varies across the inequality spectrum; 2) The reorganizing abilities of groups across the inequality spectrum impact one another; and 3) The presence of inequalities affect connectedness within the system. Incorporating these propositions into social-ecological system modeling can improve our understanding of how inequalities impact system reorganization. This information can support disaster recovery plans that strengthen a system's ability to enter a more positive trajectory post-disaster.