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Disaster Governance in Conflict-Affected Authoritarian Contexts: The Cases of Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Zimbabwe

Author

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  • Isabelle Desportes

    (International Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands)

  • Dorothea Hilhorst

    (International Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands)

Abstract

Disaster governance in conflict areas is of growing academic concern, but most existing research comprises either single case studies or studies of a variety of country contexts that group all types of conflict together. Based on three case studies, this article offers a middle-ground scenario-based approach, focusing on disaster governance in authoritarian contexts experiencing low-intensity conflict. Low-intensity conflict is characterized by intense political tensions and violence that is more readily expressed in ways other than direct physical harm. Inspired by Olson’s (2000) maxim that disasters are intrinsically political, this article explores the politics of disaster response by asking what is at stake and what happened, unpacking these questions for state, civil society, and international humanitarian actors. Using data from a total of one year of qualitative fieldwork, the article analyzes disaster governance in 2016 drought-ridden Ethiopia, marked by protests and a State of Emergency; 2015 flooded Myanmar, characterized by explosive identity politics; and 2016–2019 drought-ridden Zimbabwe, with its intense socioeconomic and political turbulence. The study’s findings show how framing and power processes in disaster governance—comprising state and non-state actors—largely lean toward the state, with the consequence that political interests, rather than needs assessments, steer who and what will be protected from disaster impact.

Suggested Citation

  • Isabelle Desportes & Dorothea Hilhorst, 2020. "Disaster Governance in Conflict-Affected Authoritarian Contexts: The Cases of Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Zimbabwe," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(4), pages 343-354.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:poango:v:8:y:2020:i:4:p:343-354
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jennifer Robinson, 2016. "Comparative Urbanism: New Geographies and Cultures of Theorizing the Urban," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(1), pages 187-199, January.
    2. Rajesh Venugopal & Sameer Yasir, 2017. "The politics of natural disasters in protracted conflict: the 2014 flood in Kashmir," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(4), pages 424-442, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Dorothea Hilhorst & Kees Boersma & Emmanuel Raju, 2020. "Research on Politics of Disaster Risk Governance: Where Are We Headed?," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(4), pages 214-219.

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