Disaster Governance and Its Relevance

Abstract

It is evident that disasters are a true litmus test of governance. Many attributes of governance interplay in disasters, before, during, and after a situation. Governance is the exercise of political, economic, and administrative authority in the management of a country’s affairs at all levels. This book is emphasizing the governance of disaster risks that influences the way in which national and subnational actors (including governments, parliamentarians, public servants, the media, the private sector, and civil society organizations) are willing and able to coordinate their actions to manage and reduce disaster-related risk (UNDP. Disaster risk reduction, governance & mainstreaming. UNDP, New York, 2010). This introductory chapter will discuss the risk governance perspectives in the parlance of accepted theoretical base. The present research will make a review of different governance issues related to the disaster risk reduction, from global, regional, national, and local perspectives, and will highlight the needs and relevance of disaster governance at different levels.