Contextualizing institutional factors in an indicator-based analysis of hazard vulnerability for coastal communities

Abstract

Indicator-based approaches to hazard vulnerability analysis are designed to produce policy-relevant information, but are limited in their ability to incorporate indicators that reflect the complex nature and contextual influence of institutional factors on vulnerability. This study focuses on local government policy and practice as an institutional factor and draws on a survey of municipal practitioners to inform indicators that reflect it. Rather than assess relative vulnerability, the study takes an original approach to construct an index that identifies similarities and differences in forms of capital that influence vulnerability across communities. The index is demonstrated through a case study of 50 coastal communities in British Columbia, Canada. The study uses local practitioner knowledge to inform indicators of institutional capital that influence vulnerability to coastal flood hazards, investigates associations between key indicators, and illustrates that incorporating meaningful indicators of institutional capital can enable contextual analysis of how local policy factors affect vulnerability.

Keywords:

• vulnerability
• institutional factors
• indicators
• coastal flood hazards
• local policy

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the municipal practitioners who participated in this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the Marine Environmental Observation Prediction and Response (MEOPAR) Network of Centres of Excellence (NCE).