Statistical foundations of ecological rationality

If we reassess the rationality question under the assumption that the uncertainty of the natural world is largely unquantifiable, where do we end up? In this article the author argues that we arrive at a statistical, normative, and cognitive theory of ecological rationality. The main casualty of this rebuilding process is optimality. Once we view optimality as a formal implication of quantified uncertainty rather than an ecologically meaningful objective, the rationality question shifts from being axiomatic/probabilistic in nature to being algorithmic/predictive in nature. These distinct views on rationality mirror fundamental and long-standing divisions in statistics

Creative Downtown: The Role of Culture in Rebuilding Lower Manhattan

Examines how NYC arts groups and artists below Canal Street were affected by September 11, and possible actions the city, state, and private sector could take on behalf of arts and culture in rebuilding and revitalizing the downtown area

Designing to heal: post-disaster rebuilding to assist community recovery

The physical destruction accompanying disasters typically creates an urgency to rebuild and help survivors get back on track. There are inspiring examples of how architects and other built environment professionals have contributed to rebuilding. In many cases their efforts have facilitated the re-establishment of eroded communities and created a sense that things were getting better. At times, however, these interventions have overwhelmed the remnants of the pre-disaster community, replacing them with assets and opportunities irrelevant to their needs and values, and setting them down a path not of their choosing. Increasing the chances that such projects will resonate with the communities requires getting the process and the product of design right. This paper is divided into two parts: Part A outlines the relevance and significance of disasters and post-disaster recovery; Part B highlights the need of designers to harness community skills, emphasises survivor participation in the planning and realisation of their post-disaster environment, and suggests some characteristics of design that may smooth the path to recovery

Disaster Governance and Challenges in a Rural Nepali Community: Notes from Future Village NGO

More than two years after the 2015 earthquakes devastated Nepal, Katunge village in Dhading district, Nepal, remained as destroyed as it was right after the earthquake. While the villagers were rather hopeful about rebuilding their houses and lives during the immediate relief effort in which we engaged, one month after the earthquake, now only a few are confident that they will ever rebuild their homes. In this article, we describe the reconstruction progress, followed by a critique of why the reconstruction progress has been so slow. We conclude with reflections on reconstruction challenges interwoven into the context of our NGO experience. During our trips to the region, we have observed and experienced the difficulties people and organizations are facing in the reconstruction process. We interviewed government officials and NGOs that have been involved in reconstruction, which helped us to gain insight into broader perspectives on the community or family-level realities that hinder rebuilding and community revitalization. We conclude that by mobilizing earthquake victims, it is possible to rebuild houses and revitalize communities. Conversely, little progress can be expected in Nepal’s rebuilding as long as poor governance and poor coordination between major reconstruction actors prevails

Rebuilding the Special Relationship: Ambassador Sir Harold Caccia and the Reconstruction of Relations between the United States and the United Kingdom

This paper focuses on the rejuvenation of the \u27special relationship\u27 between the United States and Great Britain during the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower. Relations between the two nations suffered after the Suez Canal Crisis of 1956, and the next two years were devoted to repairing the necessary close relationship between the two allies. The research highlights the role of United Kingdom Ambassador to Washington, Sir Harold Caccia, during the time of rebuilding the close relations

Koh Phi Phi: clean slates, disaster capitalism or boiled frogs? A research update on post-disaster vulnerability

Through a study which took place on Koh Phi Phi Island, Thailand between 2005 and 2011, concerning the influence of political economy and conceptualisations of sustainability upon post disaster reconstruction, the author attempts to fill the void expressed by numerous commentators who have highlighted a relative lack of academic attention directly addressing the influence of political economy on achieving sustainability in post-disaster reconstruction. In existing academic debates concerning the political economy of post-disaster reconstruction, there appears a trend towards ‘disaster capitalism’ (Klein, 2005: 3), ‘smash and grab capitalism’ (Harvey, 2007: 3 2) or ‘attempts to accumulate by dispossession’ (Saltman, 2007a: 57). This research observes however, that this did not occur on Phi Phi Island post Asian tsunami of December 2004. Despite claims of a ‘clean slate’ being offered by the tsunami in developmental terms, this research provides evidence and explanation of why this did not and would not exist on Phi Phi, a finding that may be applied to other destinations in a post-disaster context

Authentic housing, authentic culture?: transforming a village into a 'tourist site' in Manggarai, eastern Indonesia

Since the publication of MacCannell’s The tourist (1976), the issue of ‘authenticity’ has been at the centre of tourism studies. Whilst early analysts broadly agreed with MacCannell’s thesis that tourism, by turning culture into a commodity, replaced real with ‘staged’ authenticity (ibid, 91-107), more recent work has shown ‘an increased awareness of the social construction and invention of both tradition and authenticity’ (Wood, 1992: 57). That is, authenticity is increasingly seen as a socially constructed concept, with criteria for judgement of ‘the authentic’ varying greatly between different actors. In addition, analysts are moving away from rather naive considerations of the ‘impact’ of tourism on pristine, pre-tourist culture, to an appreciation that not only does tourism create a ‘space for discussion’ of tradition (see both Adams and Picard, this issue), but that its ‘impact’ is always bound up with local cultural politics (Wood, 1992: 67-8). In this paper, I describe an Indonesian tourism project – the ‘discovery’ of an apparently ‘untouched’ village and its remodelling into a ‘tourist site’ – in which issues of ‘authenticity’ played a central part. As I shall show, both concepts of authenticity and perceptions of what objects, practices or other aspects of culture should be the focus of talk about authenticity varied between state officials, ambitious young men, ritual elders and other villagers. Not only does the project I describe have implications for pan-Indonesian discourses on ‘culture’ and ‘ethnicity’, it also raises issues concerning the ways in which local people distinguish between different kinds of visitors, and how ‘tourism’ can have a profound impact on local perceptions of place and identity, even in the absence of large numbers of visitors

Disaster Risk Reduction in the Built Environment in Sri Lanka- An overview

Natural disasters have long-term implications on sustainable development. They mainly destroy the built environment thereby hindering economic and social development, and causing environment degradation. Reducing the risk of natural disasters within the built environment is therefore critical for ensuring sustainable development. The paper in this context, aims to assess the current state of disaster risk reduction in the built environment in Sri Lanka. Empirical data was collected employing semi-structured in-depth interviews which were conducted with a group of professionals who were involved in disaster risk reduction in the built environment in Sri Lanka. The data was analysed following thematic analysis. The paper reveals the current state of disaster risk reduction in the built environment requires to be improved to achieve a satisfactory level of success whilst highlighting a number of barriers that hinder the desired progress. Deficient funds and weak regulatory framework are identified as major barriers for successful implementation. Central and local government authorities are identified as the primarily responsible parties for disaster risk reduction in the built environment in Sri Lanka in the paper. The paper further presents various recommendations on how to improve the current situation