The role of trust in achieving sustainable community-based disaster risk management - case studies from the Philippines

Abstract

Impacts of disasters are felt acutely at community level, as a consequence communities in the
Philippines are among the most affected by the increase in disaster risks. This realization led to an
increase of community-based approaches, such as community-based disaster risk management
(CBDRM). However, literature acknowledges a recurring failure of projects to be sustainable long-term,
attributed to a lack of trust in implementers, lowering the motivation of communities to commit.
Therefore, this research explores the role of trust in achieving sustainable CBDRM for the case of four
communities in Pangasinan, Philippines. Based on the literature, a conceptual framework was created
and adapted according to findings through two focus group discussions and 15 key informant
interviews with community members, CBDRM implementers, and duty-bearers. The role of trust was
identified by analyzing the data following Creswell (2013) and relating it to other relevant factors for
the CBDRM sustainability in terms of horizontal trust and vertical trust. Interviewees identified the
importance of awareness, linked to knowledge on vulnerabilities and disasters, which they also related
to perceived source trustworthiness. Furthermore, an interactive relationship with trust and
meaningful, inclusive, and accessible participation was highlighted and considered to significantly
contribute to CBDRM sustainability. Political complexities that impact trust levels show the need for
an enabling environment and a stricter policy implementation to enhance sustainability. While the role
of trust in achieving sustainable CBDRM in this research is considered substantial, more research on
different aspects of trust and especially within other contexts is needed.

Popular Abstract

Because of disasters, rural communities in the Philippines experience a lot of losses. Since the communities know best about their own needs and resources, approaches like ‘community-based disaster risk management’ (CBDRM) aim to include the communities in all steps of developing disaster risk management plans. You can imagine it like this: a CBDRM implementing organization visits a community to analyze the risks and resources with them and write a disaster risk management plan together. This sounds nice – but even though projects often work well while the organization is in the community they often fail once organizations leave. Experts believe that this is due to a lack of trust in the implementing organization, leading to a lack of commitment. This research asked community members, people working in CBDRM organizations, and local government officials in four rural communities in the Philippines about their perspectives on what role trust plays in the outcome of CBDRM projects through interviews and focus group discussions.
Trust is a critical factor in influencing the sustainability of CBDRM projects, but more factors that influence the CBDRM sustainability and connections between all of these were found. Overall, this research found that the sustainability of CBDRM is related to:
1) Information, knowledge, and awareness of the disasters
2) Meaningful participation in terms of it being accessible and contextually adapted
3) Frameworks, and policies to create an enabling environment for CBDRM
4) Trust in terms of inter-community trust and vice versa trust between implementers and the community.
A close connection between information, knowledge, and awareness of the risks and how this influences both participation and trust was found since if community members do not know about the activities or risks, they would not participate. It became obvious that the inclusiveness, accessibility, and contextual adaptation of activities were crucial for the participation since sometimes persons with disabilities could not take part because of the venue or men could not attend because they had to work during the activities. Also, it was considered important that CBDRM implementers are honest and understand the culture. For example, food should always be offered at activities because it is a sign of good upbringing in the Filipino culture. Community members explained that trust in the community and the implementers affect whether people take part. This shows that trust is important, since without participation CBDRM cannot exist. Many frameworks and policies on CBDRM exist in the Philippines, but gaps in their implementation persist. There is a need for political support on both local and national levels, especially in terms of finances. Politics were considered to either help or harm the CBDRM outcomes, depending on how much people trust the politics.
Overall, trust both within communities and vice versa trust between community and implementers was found to be very important for CBDRM sustainability. Curiously, it seems that trust between implementers and communities has not been studied much. Because this research was done in the Philippines, and because trust and CBDRM are both context-dependent, these findings may not completely apply to other places. Therefore, further research is needed to gain a better understanding of the role of trust in CBDRM approaches.

• author: Burkhardt, Annika Kayleigh
• supervisor: Mo Hamza
• organization: Division of Risk Management and Societal Safety
• course: VBRM15 20241
• year: 2024
• type: H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
• subject: Technology and Engineering; Social Sciences; Earth and Environmental Sciences
• keywords: Community-based disaster risk management, social trust, horizontal trust, vertical trust, social capital, participation, Philippines, Pangasinan, Agno River Basin
• language: English
• additional info: This research was done in cooperation with the Center for Disaster Preparedness Foundation Philippines and supported by a field grant of the Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy.
• id: 9158885
• date added to LUP: 2024-06-10 07:52:05
• date last changed: 2024-06-10 07:52:05