scholarly journals Impact of post-disaster government policy on reconstruction: A case study of post-earthquake Christchurch, New Zealand

Author(s):  
Niransha Rodrigo ◽  
◽  
Suzanne Wilkinson ◽  

The New Zealand government, following the Canterbury earthquakes 2010-2011, adopted new ways to rebuild the city. Given an opportunity to find solutions to pre-existing issues in the city, the government was keen to rebuild faster and better. The blueprint that was finalised mid-2012, had 17 anchor projects to lead its rebuilding efforts along with governance and legislative changes to facilitate rebuilding. Drawing on past literature using the case study of Canterbury earthquakes 2010-2011, this paper first reviews the rebuilding process in Christchurch. 14 face to face interviews were held with those involved in and subjected to these governance and structural changes. The study suggests the complex post-disaster environment limit the effectiveness of the imposed changes. Rebuilding efforts were hindered by the absence of a proper legislative framework, the ambiguity in defining roles and responsibilities of recovery agents, the time-pressure to rebuild resulting in hasty planning, limited public involvement in rebuilding and the lack of strategic relevance to ensure the outcomes are accepted by the public and fit with the city’s image in the long run. It is recommended that future research focuses on implications of post-disaster rebuilding practices on the wider community, businesses, and the government.

Urban Studies ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 004209802097265
Author(s):  
Matthew Thompson ◽  
Alan Southern ◽  
Helen Heap

This article revisits debates on the contribution of the social economy to urban economic development, specifically focusing on the scale of the city region. It presents a novel tripartite definition – empirical, essentialist, holistic – as a useful frame for future research into urban social economies. Findings from an in-depth case study of the scale, scope and value of the Liverpool City Region’s social economy are presented through this framing. This research suggests that the social economy has the potential to build a workable alternative to neoliberal economic development if given sufficient tailored institutional support and if seen as a holistic integrated city-regional system, with anchor institutions and community anchor organisations playing key roles.


1997 ◽  
Vol 87 (2) ◽  
pp. 356-369
Author(s):  
Takumi Toshinawa ◽  
J. John Taber ◽  
John B. Berrill

Abstract The areal distribution of seismic ground-motion intensity in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, during the 1994 Arthurs Pass Earthquake (ML 6.6) was evaluated using an intensity questionnaire together with local site amplifications inferred from seismic recordings and microtremors. In order to estimate the intensity in parts of the city where no intensity data were available, intensity data were compared to relative levels of shaking determined from both weak-motion and microtremor recordings. Weak ground-motion amplification factors were determined using ratios of ground accelerations at five sediment sites with respect to a rock site. Microtremor amplification factors were determined from horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios at a 1-km spacing throughout the city. A positive correlation between weak-motion and microtremor amplification factors allowed extrapolation of microtremor amplification to estimated MM intensity (EMMI). EMMI ranged from 3 to 6 and was consistent with the questionnaire intensity and geological conditions and showed detailed information on the areal distribution of ground-motion intensity in the city.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 240-244
Author(s):  
Joseph L. Richmond, LPD, MPA

Objective: On May 22, 2011, an EF-5 tornado struck Joplin, Missouri, leaving behind 161 fatalities and $2.8 billion in economic impacts. This case study of the 2011 disaster was an attempt at determining if and how economic recovery occurred following the disaster through the lived experiences of government officials, local policymakers, and business officials. Design: Case study using in-depth, semistructured, one-on-one interviews and a qualitative design and analysis.Setting: Joplin, Missouri/2011 Joplin Tornado Participants: Seven local government officials, policymakers, and business officials from the city of Joplin that were directly involved in the response and recovery from the 2011 tornado.Interventions: N/AMain outcome measure(s): N/AResults: Policies and actions that were the most effective focused on housing, personal financial resources of the survivors, and ensuring that the recovery processes were expedited as much as prudently possible.Conclusions: Specific policy measures are not recommended through the un-generalizable findings of this case study; however, this case study places a foundation for future research to develop specific policy measures related to disaster recovery.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bénédique Paul ◽  
◽  
Ahmad H. Juma'h ◽  
Florys Dorante ◽  
◽  
...  

Banks are the pillars of entrepreneurship expansion and economic development. In developing countries, where there is little public financial support for entrepreneurs, it is clear that banks, among other financial institutions, should be part of the solution to the problem of financing economic activity. As financial intermediaries, commercial banks need to enjoy good perception among entrepreneurs to improve their profitability. To achieve such objective, banks sometimes adopt social responsibility strategies to influence public perception of banks’ behavior. How do Haitian entrepreneurs perceive Haitian banks’ social responsibility? To answer this question, we collect empirical data among entrepreneurs of all size (micro, small and large). The findings help interesting discussions of banks perception among entrepreneurs divided by demographic (gender, location) and economic (sector, size, assets) characteristics. Among the main conclusions, we find that banks enjoy very bad perception among entrepreneurs (all size). Also, the special concessions given by the Government and other international institutions to the banking industry in Haiti help very few to increase the financial services for Haitian entrepreneurs. From our conclusion arise questions for future research to study the relations between entrepreneurs’ own practices of corporate social responsibility and their perception of banks social responsibility.


2008 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Edwards

There is a wide variety of universities, university campuses and university courses in Australia available to those interested in pursuing a higher education degree. This paper examines the impact of increasing competition for entrance to university on the educational outcomes for students from the government school sector. Using Melbourne as a case study, the research shows that, over a four-year period of increased competition, entry to some of the more academically accessible university campuses in the city became more difficult and this disproportionately affected the opportunities for university entrance among some groups. Despite the fact that there was no noticeable change in the academic standards achieved by government school completers, the rate at which government school students gained access to these universities declined noticeably during this time. These findings show how changes in supply of university places from year to year can have a profound effect on the opportunities of secondary-school completers—particularly those in more educationally disadvantaged settings.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-124
Author(s):  
Mochammad Rifky Pamungkas ◽  
Erna Maulina ◽  
Margo Purnomo

Today's world competition has increased the pressure on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to adopt lean implementations. The purpose of this study is to make a small contribution by exploring the Lean Implementation Barrier (LIB) in SMEs through three case studies of SMEs in the city of Bandung. A case study approach is used and followed by the Interpretative Structural Model (ISM) in order to see the inter-LIB relationship. The results of this study indicate that lack of management commitment and leadership, lack of employee involvement and lack of resources are the main obstacles to lean implementation in SMEs in Indonesia. Moreover, poor communication among various levels within the company and inadequate dissemination of knowledge about the benefits of lean also create barriers to lean implementation. The implication of this research is to strengthen and expand information related to research on the application of lean in SMEs, especially the results of the identified barriers that can assist SMEs in implementing lean or future research in developing and identifying barriers to implementing lean in SMEs.


Author(s):  
Jocelyn Williams

This chapter discusses community outcomes of free home Internet access. It draws on case study research on Computers in Homes (CIH), a scheme established in New Zealand in 2000 for the purpose of bridging the digital divide, particularly for low-income families who have school-aged children. The government-funded CIH scheme aims to strengthen relationships between families and schools, improve educational outcomes for children, and provide greater opportunities for their parents. CIH achieves this by working with many primary (elementary) schools, each of which selects 25 families who will benefit from the program. Each family receives a refurbished computer, software, and six months free Internet, as well as twenty hours of free IT training and technical support so that all adults are equipped to make effective use of the Internet. The scheme has evolved to deliver much more than technology. It has become a contributor to social capital in the communities where it has been established. This chapter uses a case study research approach to demonstrate and theorize this process of community building using a construct of social cohesion, which appears to be strengthened by the CIH intervention. Where stronger social networks, volunteerism, and civic engagement were documented in the research, leader figures also mobilized to act on shared goals. These findings highlight the value of existing social resources within communities for achieving community goals while also maximizing community Internet longevity.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shankar Neeraj ◽  
Sandeeka Mannakkara ◽  
Suzanne Wilkinson

Purpose This paper aims to understand the recovery process after the 2018 floods in Kerala, India, and it determines whether the recovery efforts were aligned with Build Back Better (BBB) concepts. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was adopted to collect the data from the officials of Government and NGOs involved in Kerala recovery. The participants were interviewed on the challenges faced during the recovery process and the actions taken by them to overcome it. Findings The study identified that the Kerala Government was proactive at making the community resilient from future disasters by – encouraging owner-driven reconstruction among flood-affected households; supporting locals to rejuvenate their business; and by creating a local-level recovery authority. Further, this paper identifies the areas that Kerala was lacking in terms of BBB and where resilience-based plans and actions are needed for the future. Research limitations/implications The participants were employees of Government and NGOs at a state level as they were the primary decision-makers to implement any recovery actions. Researchers believe that the authorities at district and village level could have had a different perspective towards implementing the recovery actions. Practical implications The best practices presented in this paper for effective BBB will assist the government to build/improve resilience in the community. Originality/value The implementation of BBB concepts in the areas of disaster risk reduction, community recovery and effective implementation was never studied extensively. The research provides valuable information on what extent Kerala’s post-disaster recovery and reconstruction activities were in-line with BBB practices.


2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Wojewnik-Filipkowska ◽  
Anna Dziadkiewicz ◽  
Wioleta Dryl ◽  
Tomasz Dryl ◽  
Robert Bęben

Purpose Public involvement is essential in the creation of effective local strategies for the development of a sustainable built environment, yet there has been little research on stakeholder motivation and engagement in the creation of infrastructure-project value, in the entire life cycle of a given project, while different markets show that overlooking stakeholders can negatively affect the success of an infrastructure project. The purpose of this paper is to fill the theory-practice gap that has been discerned, and thus study how early public involvement determines the success of an infrastructure project, which is identified with its value creation (effectiveness, sustainability and utility). Design/methodology/approach This research entails a combination of methods. A case study analysis allowed observation of the role the stakeholders play and of how the relationships, perspectives, expectations and risks, along with other soft issues, continue to affect projects. The case study required comprehensive examination of project documentation and conduction of interviews. To collect data, focused group interviews and semi-structured interviews were used, supported with direct questionnaire surveys. Findings The study provides evidence that early public engagement can contribute to infrastructure-project value (effectiveness, sustainability and utility). Practically speaking, the stakeholder analysis performed allowed proposal of a general stakeholder analysis framework for infrastructure projects. It can be implemented at each investment phase of the project life cycle, since stakeholders and their motivation may develop and/or change over time, which necessitates development of proper managerial strategies. The findings highlight the opportunities and the challenges faced by stakeholder management. Research limitations/implications The limitation of this study derives from the fact that the sample size was small, which was necessary for an in-depth qualitative research and application of the case study method. The observations were made on a selected case study, within a limited period of time, thus the context of the analysis as well as the stakeholder perception was subject to possible change. The research limitations concern the provisional nature of the information obtained, the cross-sectional nature of the analysis itself, and, finally, the inability to predict all future events. Ultimately, stakeholder mapping was performed for the operational phase of the investment exclusively, while the analysis was limited to identification and classification of the stakeholders, including their relationship with the project. Practical implications The research conclusions provide useful input for future research on development of effective strategies for management of the shareholders that are related to a given infrastructure project, in order to achieve project success. Simultaneously, from a property perspective, the research has contributed to a better understanding of the importance of infrastructure, on the part of real estate stakeholders. Social implications Application of the approach proposed in the study may contribute to early development and implementation of appropriate trust-building processes. The building of relationships between stakeholders enables checks and balances, promotes short- and long-term project benefits, and increases the value of a project. Originality/value The novelty of the research consists in the connection, as part of infrastructure projects, of the theory of consumption values and the concept of an investment cycle with the framework of stakeholder analysis.


Leadership ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suze Wilson

This case study analyses the leadership approach and practices of the New Zealand government, led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, in the response thus far to the COVID-19 pandemic. It reports on how a shared sense of purpose has been established, that of minimizing harm to lives and livelihoods, for which the government has sought – and secured – New Zealanders’ commitment. Key leadership practices comprise the government’s willingness to themselves be led by expertise, its efforts to mobilise the population, and to enable coping, all of which serve to build the trust in leadership needed for transformative, collective action such as the pandemic demands. At the time of writing, New Zealand appears well on track to achieve its ambitious goal of achieving rapid and complete control over the COVID-19 outbreak – not just ‘flattening the curve’ as other countries are struggling to do – at least in part due to these leadership contributions. A framework of good practices for pandemic leadership is offered drawn from this case study, in the hope transferable lessons can be taken to aid others in the continuing struggle to limit the harm COVID-19 poses to lives and livelihoods throughout the world.


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