Preparing for Preparedness - Shaping Crisis Planning Processes in Local Authorities

In the developed countries the public expect society to be prepared for, and step in, if something out of the ordinary happens. This public pressure appears to have increased the demand for crisis preparedness planning. In crisis management the local authority serves as the first line of defence and will more or less always be involved in responding to crises. It is therefore important to study how they should work with preparedness planning. The overall aim of the research on which the present thesis is based has been to study how local authorities should shape their preparedness planning processes in order to enhance their ability to respond to crises. Organisations are different; they have dissimilar prerequisites and are vulnerable to different hazards. Preparedness planning must always be adapted to the specific conditions and there is thus no detailed model that fits all organisations. In this thesis I have addressed two research questions concerning preparedness planning. The first question addressed the factors preparedness planners and researchers perceived as vital to consider when shaping the process of preparedness planning. The second research question dealt with the implications crisis management has on the preparedness planning process. The answers to both research questions can be summarised as follows. While acknowledging that there is no “model planning” that will serve every local authority effectively, there were four implications that were perceived as vital. The first implication is that there are several aims of preparedness planning, and those aims might be in conflict with each other. The second implication, at the operational level to shape a preparedness planning process, is that there is a need to create a continuous process. Furthermore, I have found three different perspectives relevant for shaping this process. These are to address the organisation’s internal vulnerabilities, to deal with aspects of learning and to consider who should learn what and how. The third implication is that it will almost never be possible to completely “stick to the plan”. There will always be a need for improvisation. It is thus wise to plan for improvisation. The fourth and final implication is that one needs to be cautious when evaluating a plan in hindsight

Sustainable Distribution of Responsibility for Climate Change Adaptation

To gain legitimacy for climate change adaptation decisions, the distribution of responsibility for these decisions and their implementation needs to be grounded in theories of just distribution and what those aected by decisions see as just. The purpose of this project is to contribute to sustainable spatial planning and the ability of local and regional public authorities to make well-informed and sustainable adaptation decisions, based on knowledge about both climate change impacts and the perceptions of residents and civil servants on what constitutes a sustainable distribution of responsibility. Our aims are: (1) a better understanding of the practical implications of theories about just distribution of responsibility for the choice of local and regional climate adaptation measures; (2) knowledge about what residents and civil servants consider a sustainable distribution of responsibility for climate adaptation measures; and (3) a better understanding of conflicts concerning the distribution of responsibilities and systematic knowledge about the possibilities to manage them. In this interdisciplinary project, we study six municipalities and their residents, and two county administrative boards, all in Sweden, using mixed methods: value theory, document studies, interviews, focus groups, and surveys

Diet, gender and rank

The archaeology of rank is in many respects the basis for the study of social organisation in ancient societies. Here burial data are considered as closely related to the social position in life. Rank-indicating features marking social position can then be correlated with biological features such as sex, age, kinship, pathological traits, and dietary data, which are possible to study with scientific methods. This study concerns seven boatgraves at Tuna, Alsike parish, Uppland, Sweden, dating to the Vendel and Viking Periods. Molecular sex identifications, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses, and trace element analysis were performed on human bones to gain information on the social structure of the population. No dietary hierarchy, and thus no gender differences, could be detected. However, since we now only have studied the upper stratum of the society, next study should concern the rest of the population. This is already underway since we believe this approach is fruitful for the study of archaeological rank and its implications

Safety Assessment Strategy for Collaborative Robot Installations

Industrial resource efficiency can be improved if the safety barrier between humans and robots is removed, as this enables operators and robots to work side by side or in direct collaboration to solve a task, usually referred to as a collaborative robot installation. Even though technology development makes the barrier removal ever more feasible from a safety perspective, this still produces a possible hazardous working environment, and safety assessment strategies are crucial. A wide area of knowledge is required to assess all fields that can help ensure safe human-machine interaction. Here the focus is primarily on providing a description of the key fields identified, including how operators psychologically accept working with robots, and providing a cursory description of the research front for each individual field. In addition to covering a large number of parameters, the assessment strategy also needs to be cost-effective. A significant part of all parameters that can be considered when attempting to produce optimized and cost-effective collaborative robot installations will also have a direct impact on operator safety. Hence, assessments for safety, and assessments for cost-effectiveness, cannot be separated, and are treated as two objectives that need to be viewed in sync

A Linear Model of Phase-Dependent Power Correlations in Neuronal Oscillations

Recently, it has been suggested that effective interactions between two neuronal populations are supported by the phase difference between the oscillations in these two populations, a hypothesis referred to as “communication through coherence” (CTC). Experimental work quantified effective interactions by means of the power correlations between the two populations, where power was calculated on the local field potential and/or multi-unit activity. Here, we present a linear model of interacting oscillators that accounts for the phase dependency of the power correlation between the two populations and that can be used as a reference for detecting non-linearities such as gain control. In the experimental analysis, trials were sorted according to the coupled phase difference of the oscillators while the putative interaction between oscillations was taking place. Taking advantage of the modeling, we further studied the dependency of the power correlation on the uncoupled phase difference, connection strength, and topology. Since the uncoupled phase difference, i.e., the phase relation before the effective interaction, is the causal variable in the CTC hypothesis we also describe how power correlations depend on that variable. For uni-directional connectivity we observe that the width of the uncoupled phase dependency is broader than for the coupled phase. Furthermore, the analytical results show that the characteristics of the phase dependency change when a bidirectional connection is assumed. The width of the phase dependency indicates which oscillation frequencies are optimal for a given connection delay distribution. We propose that a certain width enables a stimulus-contrast dependent extent of effective long-range lateral connections

Locating potential sources of capacity and vulnerability in geographically remote areas: Reflections based on three case studies

The relationship between geographical and social forms of remoteness and the concepts of vulnerability and capacity remains unclear. Recognising that capacities and vulnerabilities tend to co-exist in a population, the article assumes that the dynamics between these concepts are situational. In this article we draw on three cases to analyse the issue. An Arctic case study provides insight on remoteness in terms of latitude, followed by an Andean case study reflecting on the role of altitude, and lastly an Island community case study provides a perspective on external isolation (recognising that island communities are also typically connected). From these cases we glean a number of preliminary insights for further investigation. One is that remote communities tend to avoid dependence on external actors when possible. Second, power dynamics between remote communities and centralised actors can make disaster management difficult if local capacities are overrun but trust is not present. Third, remoteness mainly becomes a direct source of vulnerability if remoteness translates into neglect, rendering places ‘peripheral’. Generalisable insights suggest that relationships take time to build and cannot be easily established after the fact. The cases hence suggest that remote areas typically have a strained relationship with centralised authorities which fosters local coping strategies but also a fear of external dependence, which may ultimately prove problematic in times of adversity

The capability concept – On how to define and describe capability in relation to risk, vulnerability and resilience

Capabilities-based planning and capability assessment are high on the agendas of several countries and organisations as part of their risk management and emergency preparedness. Despite this, few definitions of capability exist, and they are not easily related to concepts such as risk, vulnerability and resilience. The aim of the present study was thus to broaden the scientific basis of the risk field to also include the concept of capability. The proposed definition is based on a recently developed risk framework, and we define capability as the uncertainty about and the severity of the consequences of an activity given the occurrence of the initiating event and the performed task. We provide examples of how the response capability for a fictive scenario can be described using this definition, and illustrate how our definition can be used to analyse capability assessments prepared according to the Swedish crisis management system. We have analysed the content of 25 capability assessments produced in 2011 by stakeholders on local, regional and national level. It was concluded that none addressed uncertainty to any appreciable extent, and only a third described capability in terms of consequences and task, making it difficult to relate these capability assessments to risk assessments

Home, Sweet Home: Returns to Returning in the Age of Mass Migration

Studying migrants from Sweden to the United States, we provide new evidence on return migration during the Age of Mass Migration. Focusing on a sample of migrants and stayers observed in childhood, we document limited effects on income and occupational upgrading, but large effects on wealth. Male returnees held about twice as much wealth as stayers and about 40 percent more than staying brothers. These effects were likely driven by accumulated savings overseas, rather than inheritance or an income premium back home. For female returnees, wealth effects are of similar magnitude, but appear to be realized primarily through marriage

Combined life satisfaction of persons with stroke and their caregivers: associations with caregiver burden and the impact of stroke

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Little is known about the life satisfaction of the person with stroke combined with their caregiver, i.e. the dyad, despite the fact that life satisfaction is an important rehabilitation outcome. The aim of this study was to describe the dyads combined life satisfaction and to understand this in relationship to the perceived impact of stroke in everyday life and caregiver burden.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this cross-sectional study, the life satisfaction of persons and their informal caregivers was measured in 81 dyads one year post stroke. Their global life satisfaction, measured with LiSat-11, was combined to a dyad score and the dyads were then categorized as satisfied, dissatisfied or discordant. The groups were compared and analyzed regarding levels of caregiver burden, measured with the Caregiver Burden scale, and the perceived impact of stroke in everyday life, measured with the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The satisfied dyads comprised 40%, dissatisfied 26% and those that were discordant 34%. The satisfied dyads reported a significantly lower impact of the stroke in everyday life compared with the dyads that were not satisfied. As expected, dyads that were not satisfied reported a significantly greater caregiver burden compared with the satisfied dyads. The discordant group was further broken down into a group of dissatisfied and satisfied caregivers. The caregivers that were not satisfied in the discordant group perceived a significantly greater level of caregiver burden compared with the satisfied group. Even caregivers who were satisfied with life but whose care recipients were not satisfied reported caregiver burden.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Measuring combined life satisfaction provides a unique focus and appears to be a feasible way of attaining the dyads' perspective. The findings suggest that those dyads with a discordant life satisfaction could be vulnerable because of the caregivers' reported caregiver burden. These findings support the importance of a dyadic perspective and add to the understanding of the reciprocal influences between the caregiver and recipient. This knowledge has clinical implications and contributes to the identification of possible vulnerable dyads in need of tailored support.</p

L'enjeu de la personnalité dans le scrutin présidentiel

Dans tout scrutin uninominal, la personnalité du candidat joue un rôle important. A fortiori dans une élection présidentielle, toujours puissamment médiatisée. A cette occasion, on voit l'édition produire des biographies ou des témoignages, les quotidiens de la presse écrite publier des portraits, tandis que la télévision montre abondamment des visages, des attitudes, des gestes ... On relèvera avec intérêt la popularité de ces émissions et reportages qui montrent les candidats "en famille", "en vacances", avec des amis, des proches ou encore en conciliabules mystérieux avec leurs collaborateurs (...)