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Tacit networks, crucial care: Informal networks and disaster response in Nepal’s 2015 Gorkha earthquake

Author

Listed:
  • Rocio Carrero

    (The New School, USA)

  • Michele Acuto

    (University of Melbourne, Australia)

  • Asaf Tzachor

    (University College London, UK)

  • Niraj Subedi

    (KfW Development Bank, Nepal)

  • Ben Campbell

    (University of Durham, UK)

  • Long Seng To

    (Loughborough University, UK)

Abstract

It is often reiterated that a better understanding of local networks and needs is key to risk reduction. Nevertheless, the crucial role of informal social networks and actors in the catering for human needs in disaster circumstances remains largely under-explored. If we have to rethink the ‘work’ that informality does for our understanding of urban areas, its contribution to resilience, and take it seriously in the ‘full spectrum of risk’ in urban and peri-urban centres, better and more balanced methods are needed. This paper attends to this gap. Examining the mechanisms of aid provision in the aftermath of the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake in Nepal, it details an experimental set of quantitative research methods to explore the role of informal social networks in the provision of critical human needs in natural disasters. Relying on a sample of 160 households across four districts and 16 villages in the built environment affected by the Gorkha earthquake, the paper reveals that, overall, a wide disparity exists in the comparative importance of organisations in the provision of aid and resources. Much crucial after-disaster care is catered for by a mix of relatives, temples, friends, neighbours and local clubs. It highlights the importance of informal networks in understanding, and theorising, governance (of disaster and of the ‘urban’ more in general), and calls for greater attention to its role. It is time, it argues, to revalue informal disaster governance networks as a crucial, not tacit, component of disaster response.

Suggested Citation

  • Rocio Carrero & Michele Acuto & Asaf Tzachor & Niraj Subedi & Ben Campbell & Long Seng To, 2019. "Tacit networks, crucial care: Informal networks and disaster response in Nepal’s 2015 Gorkha earthquake," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 56(3), pages 561-577, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:56:y:2019:i:3:p:561-577
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098018810606
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    References listed on IDEAS

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