Paper details
| Paper authors | Eefje Hendriks, Mia Stokmans |
| In panel on | Reimagining Humanitarian Action: Innovations and Knowledge Infrastructures Driving Transformation |
| Paper presenter(s) will be presenting |
In-Person / |
Abstract
Post-disaster reconstruction assistance insufficiently enables vulnerable households to rebuild hazard-resistant houses that can withstand future hazards, calling for stronger customization. Methods are needed to design evidence-based strategic targeted interactions to support reconstruction based on differences in household assets and measure the impact of interactions on individuals. We propose a novel innovative method using an adapted version of the MAO model (motivations, abilities, and opportunities), employing an open-ended interview scheme to measure assets through a random sample of affected households. Responses are deductively coded into quantitative data, allowing for a nuanced understanding of both enabling and limiting factors perceived by respondents. Scores are rescaled and used in a cluster analysis and qualitatively analysed to segment households in 27 different groups, each requiring different forms of engagement and support. Characteristics of each group are then used to co-design localized customized interventions aimed at facilitating safer reconstruction practices, preparing for future hazard events. This mixed-methods approach, demonstrated using data from households affected by the 2015 Nepal earthquake, provides a practical tool for humanitarian actors seeking to improve the effectiveness of post-disaster recovery programs. By uniquely combining qualitative depth with quantitative structure, the method practically enables agencies to tailor their outreach based on household-specific indicators, while also offering a means to assess the impact of their interventions with a strong theoretical foundation. This method gives an image of the behavior of an autonomously acting individual, identifying a set of important indicators for reconstruction decisions. Further research could explore decisions of individuals as part of a community and a specific environment.
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