The role of "institutionalised" local alliances in disaster management

In few cases, citizen-authority partnerships can be considered as "institutionalised" and such a situation facilitates more and more an empowerment process. This is the case of the Local Alliances "in action" among stakeholders – scientific community, local authorities, companies, NGOs, etc. as the SWITCH Learning Alliance in Lodz-PL or the running cooperation programs which are repeated over the years (e.g., in Tatabánya-HU). In this perspective, (as already stated) "Horizontal modes of governance" have been conceived in the WeSenSeit EC funded project, but only as reference models for the cases of Delft-NL, Doncaster-UK and Vicenza-IT. These modes of governance are not in practice. However, the only fact of having them conceived is a pro-people empowerment factor.

Note: See source document for full reference.

Cultural Factors: Attitudes toward authorities, Power relations

Hazards: Natural hazards

Disaster Phases: All disaster phases, Prevention, Preparedness, Response, Recovery

Types of Actors Concerned: All types of actors, Local authorities, Active citizens, Entrepreneurs, Media, Government, National research bodies, Red Cross, NGOs, Military, Law enforcement agencies, Healthcare and emergency services, European Civil Protection Mechanism, UN and other international organisations, National civil protection body, Non-active citizens

Recommendations:

• Foster the adoption of a culture of disaster prevention and resilience by informing and motivating citizens to take action