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Article
Publication date: 26 March 2024

Mona Harb, Sophie Bloemeke, Sami Atallah and Sami Zoughaib

Using critical disaster studies and state theory, we assess the disaster aid platform named Lebanon Reconstruction, Reform and Recovery Framework (3RF) that was put in place by…

Abstract

Purpose

Using critical disaster studies and state theory, we assess the disaster aid platform named Lebanon Reconstruction, Reform and Recovery Framework (3RF) that was put in place by international donors in the aftermath of the Beirut Port Blast in August 2020, in order to examine the effectiveness of its inclusive decision-making architecture, as well as its institutional building and legislative reform efforts.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses the case study approaach and relies on two original data sets compiled by authors, using desk reviews of academic literature and secondary data, in addition to 24 semi-structured expert interviews and participant observation for two years.

Findings

The aid platform appears innovative, participatory and effectively functioning toward recovery and reform. However, in practice, the government dismisses CSOs, undermines reforms and dodges state building, whereas the 3RF is structured in incoherent ways and operates according to conflicting logics, generating inertia and pitfalls that hinder effective participatory governance, prevent institutional building, and delay the making of projects.

Research limitations/implications

The research contributes to critical scholarship as it addresses an important research gap concerning disaster aid platforms’ institutional design and governance that are under-studied in critical disaster studies and political studies. It also highlights the need for critical disaster studies to engage with state theory and vice-versa.

Practical implications

The research contributes to evaluations of disaster recovery processes and outcomes. It highlights the limits of disaster aid platforms’ claims for participatory decision-making, institutional-building and reforms.

Originality/value

The paper amplifies critical disaster studies, through the reflexive analysis of a case-study of an aid platform.

Details

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-3562

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 February 2024

Wenque Liu, Albert P.C. Chan, Man Wai Chan, Amos Darko and Goodenough D. Oppong

The successful implementation of hospital projects (HPs) tends to confront sundry challenges in the planning and construction (P&C) phases due to their complexity and…

Abstract

Purpose

The successful implementation of hospital projects (HPs) tends to confront sundry challenges in the planning and construction (P&C) phases due to their complexity and particularity. Employing key performance indicators (KPIs) facilitates the monitoring of HPs to advance their successful delivery. This study aims to comprehensively investigate the KPIs for hospital planning and construction (HPC).

Design/methodology/approach

The KPIs for HPC were identified through a systematic review. Then a comprehensive assessment of these KPIs was performed utilizing a meta-analysis method. In this process, basic statistical analysis, subgroup analysis, sensitive analysis and publication bias analysis were performed.

Findings

Results indicate that all 27 KPIs identified from the literature are significant for executing HPs in P&C phases. Also, some unconventional performance indicators are crucial for implementing HPs, such as “Project monitoring effectiveness” and “Industry innovation and synergy,” as their high significance is reflected in this study. Despite the fact that the findings of meta-analysis are more trustworthy than those of individual studies, a high heterogeneity still exists in the findings. It highlights the inherent uncertainty in the construction industry. Hence, this study applied subgroup analysis to explore the underlying factors causing the high level of heterogeneity and used sensitive analysis to assess the robustness of the findings.

Originality/value

There is no consensus among the prior studies on KPIs for HPC specifically and their degree of significance. Additionally, few reviews in this field have focused on the reliability of the results. This study comprehensively assesses the KPIs for HPC and explores the variability and robustness of the results, which provides a multi-dimensional perspective for practitioners and the research community to investigate the performance of HPs during the P&C stages.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 November 2022

Junlong Peng and Xiang-Jun Liu

This research is aimed to mainly be applicable to expediting engineering projects, uses the method of inverse optimization and the double-layer nested genetic algorithm combined…

Abstract

Purpose

This research is aimed to mainly be applicable to expediting engineering projects, uses the method of inverse optimization and the double-layer nested genetic algorithm combined with nonlinear programming algorithm, study how to schedule the number of labor in each process at the minimum cost to achieve an extremely short construction period goal.

Design/methodology/approach

The method of inverse optimization is mainly used in this study. In the first phase, establish a positive optimization model, according to the existing labor constraints, aiming at the shortest construction period. In the second phase, under the condition that the expected shortest construction period is known, on the basis of the positive optimization model, the inverse optimization method is used to establish the inverse optimization model aiming at the minimum change of the number of workers, and finally the optimal labor allocation scheme that meets the conditions is obtained. Finally, use algorithm to solve and prove with a case.

Findings

The case study shows that this method can effectively achieve the extremely short duration goal of the engineering project at the minimum cost, and provide the basis for the decision-making of the engineering project.

Originality/value

The contribution of this paper to the existing knowledge is to carry out a preliminary study on the relatively blank field of the current engineering project with a very short construction period, and provide a path for the vast number of engineering projects with strict requirements on the construction period to achieve a very short construction period, and apply the inverse optimization method to the engineering field. Furthermore, a double-nested genetic algorithm and nonlinear programming algorithm are designed. It can effectively solve various optimization problems.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 31 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 March 2024

Qianmai Luo, Chengshuang Sun, Ying Li, Zhenqiang Qi and Guozong Zhang

With increasing complexity of construction projects and new construction processes and methods are adopted, more safety hazards are emerging at construction sites, requiring the…

Abstract

Purpose

With increasing complexity of construction projects and new construction processes and methods are adopted, more safety hazards are emerging at construction sites, requiring the application of the modern risk management methods. As an emerging technology, digital twin has already made valuable contributions to safety risk management in many fields. Therefore, exploring the application of digital twin technology in construction safety risk management is of great significance. The purpose of this study is to explore the current research status and application potential of digital twin technology in construction safety risk management.

Design/methodology/approach

This study followed a four-stage literature processing approach as outlined in the systematic literature review procedure guidelines. It then combined the quantitative analysis tools and qualitative analysis methods to organize and summarize the current research status of digital twin technology in the field of construction safety risk management, analyze the application of digital twin technology in construction safety risk management and identify future research trends.

Findings

The research findings indicate that the application of digital twin technology in the field of construction safety risk management is still in its early stages. Based on the results of the literature analysis, this paper summarizes five aspects of digital twin technology's application in construction safety risk management: real-time monitoring and early warning, safety risk prediction and assessment, accident simulation and emergency response, safety risk management decision support and safety training and education. It also proposes future research trends based on the current research challenges.

Originality/value

This study provides valuable references for the extended application of digital twin technology and offers a new perspective and approach for modern construction safety risk management. It contributes to the enhancement of the theoretical framework for construction safety risk management and the improvement of on-site construction safety.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 March 2024

Yash Daultani, Ashish Dwivedi, Saurabh Pratap and Akshay Sharma

Natural disasters cause serious operational risks and disruptions, which further impact the food supply in and around the disaster-impacted area. Resilient functions in the supply…

19

Abstract

Purpose

Natural disasters cause serious operational risks and disruptions, which further impact the food supply in and around the disaster-impacted area. Resilient functions in the supply chain are required to absorb the impact of resultant disruptions in perishable food supply chains (FSC). The present study identifies specific resilient functions to overcome the problems created by natural disasters in the FSC context.

Design/methodology/approach

The quality function deployment (QFD) method is utilized for identifying these relations. Further, fuzzy term sets and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) are used to prioritize the identified problems. The results obtained are employed to construct a QFD matrix with the solutions, followed by the technique for order of preference by similarity to the ideal solution (TOPSIS) on the house of quality (HOQ) matrix between the identified problems and functions.

Findings

The results from the study reflect that the shortage of employees in affected areas is the major problem caused by a natural disaster, followed by the food movement problem. The results from the analysis matrix conclude that information sharing should be kept at the highest priority by policymakers to build and increase resilient functions and sustainable crisis management in a perishable FSC network.

Originality/value

The study suggests practical implications for managing a FSC crisis during a natural disaster. The unique contribution of this research lies in finding the correlation and importance ranking among different resilience functions, which is crucial for managing a FSC crisis during a natural disaster.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 March 2024

Sarah Bradshaw

This paper argues that extractivist logic creates the environmental conditions that produce “natural” hazards and also the human conditions that produce vulnerability, which…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper argues that extractivist logic creates the environmental conditions that produce “natural” hazards and also the human conditions that produce vulnerability, which combined create disasters. Disaster Risk Creation is then built into the current global socio-economic system, as an integral component not accidental by-product.

Design/methodology/approach

As part of the movement to liberate disasters as discipline, practice and field of enquiry, this paper does not talk disasters per se, but rather its focus is on “extractivism” as a fundamental explanator for the anthropogenic disaster landscape that now confronts us.

Findings

Applying a gender lens to extractivism as it relates to disaster, further highlights that Disaster Risk Management rather than alleviating, creates the problems it seeks to solve, suggesting the need to liberate gender from Disaster Risk Management, and the need to liberate us all from the notion of managing disasters. Since to ‘manage’ disaster risk is to accept uncritically the structures and systems that create that risk, then if we truly want to address disasters, our focus needs to be on the extractive practices, not the disastrous outcomes.

Originality/value

The fundamental argument is that through privileging the notion of “disaster” we create it, bring it into existence, as something that exists in and of itself, apart from wider socio-economic structures and systems of extraction and exploitation, rather than recognising it for what it is, an outcome/end product of those wider structures and systems. Our focus on disaster is then misplaced, and perhaps what disaster studies needs to be liberated from, is itself.

Details

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-3562

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Urban Resilience: Lessons on Urban Environmental Planning from Turkey
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83549-617-6

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 3 January 2024

Cameron McCordic, Ines Raimundo, Matthew Judyn and Duncan Willis

Climate hazards in the form of cyclones are projected to become more intense under the pressures of future climate change. These changes represent a growing hazard to low lying…

Abstract

Purpose

Climate hazards in the form of cyclones are projected to become more intense under the pressures of future climate change. These changes represent a growing hazard to low lying coastal cities like Beira, Mozambique. In 2019, Beira experienced the devastating impact of Cyclone Idai. One of the many impacts resulting from this Cyclone was disrupted drinking water access. This investigation explores the distribution of Cyclone Idai’s impact on drinking water access via an environmental justice lens, exploring how preexisting water access characteristics may have predisposed households to the impacts of Cyclone Idai in Beria.

Design/methodology/approach

Relying on household survey data collected in Beira, the investigation applied a decision tree algorithm to investigate how drinking water disruption was distributed across the household survey sample using these preexisting vulnerabilities.

Findings

The investigation found that households that mainly relied upon piped water sources and experienced inconsistent access to water in the year prior to Cyclone Idai were more likely to experience disrupted drinking water access immediately after Cyclone Idai. The results indicate that residents in formal areas of Beira, largely reliant upon piped water supply, experienced higher rates of disrupted drinking water access following Cyclone Idai.

Originality/value

These findings question a commonly held assumption that informal areas are more vulnerable to climate hazards, like cyclones, than formal areas of a city. The findings support the inclusion of informal settlements in the design of climate change adaptation strategies.

Details

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, vol. 33 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-3562

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 August 2023

Chinwe Regina Okoyeuzu, Angela Ifeanyi Ujunwa, Augustine Ujunwa, Nelson N. Nkwor, Ebere Ume Kalu and Mamdouh Abdulaziz Saleh Al-Faryan

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is regarded as a region with one of the worst cases of armed conflict and climate risk. This paper examines the interactive effect of armed conflict and…

Abstract

Purpose

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is regarded as a region with one of the worst cases of armed conflict and climate risk. This paper examines the interactive effect of armed conflict and climate risk on gender vulnerability in SSA.

Design/methodology/approach

The difference and system generalised method of movement (GMM) were used to examine the relationship between the variables using annualised data of 35 SSA countries from 1998 to 2019.

Findings

The paper found strong evidence that armed conflict and climate change are positive predictors of gender vulnerability. The impact of climate change on gender vulnerability is found to be more direct than indirect.

Practical implications

The direct and indirect positive effect of armed conflict and climate change on gender vulnerability implies that climate change drives gender vulnerability through multiple channels. This underscores the need for a multi-disciplinary policy approach to addressing gender vulnerability problem in SSA.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the climate action debate by highlighting the need for climate action to incorporate gender inclusive policies such as massive investment in infrastructure and safety nets that offer protection to the most vulnerable girls and women affected by armed conflict and climate change. Societies should as a matter of urgency strive to structural barriers that predispose girls and women to biodiversity loss.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-09-2022-0595

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 51 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 19 March 2024

Catherine Sandoval and Patrick Lanthier

This chapter analyzes the link between the digital divide, infrastructure regulation, and disaster planning and relief through a case study of the flood in San Jose, California…

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the link between the digital divide, infrastructure regulation, and disaster planning and relief through a case study of the flood in San Jose, California triggered by the Anderson dam’s overtopping in February 2017 and an examination of communication failures during the 2018 wildfire in Paradise, California. This chapter theorizes that regulatory decisions construct social and disaster vulnerability. Rooted in the Whole Community approach to disaster planning and relief espoused by the United Nations and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, this chapter calls for leadership to end the digital divide. It highlights the imperative of understanding community information needs and argues for linking strategies to close the digital divide with infrastructure and emergency planning. As the Internet’s integration into society increases, the digital divide diminishes access to societal resources including disaster aid, and exacerbates wildfire, flood, pandemic, and other risks. To mitigate climate change, climate-induced disaster, protect access to social services and the economy, and safeguard democracy, it argues for digital inclusion strategies as a centerpiece of community-centered infrastructure regulation and disaster relief.

Details

Technology vs. Government: The Irresistible Force Meets the Immovable Object
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83867-951-4

Keywords

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