Public Policy Issues

Abstract

Human actions in mitigating disasters can be taken both individually and collectively. In both cases such actions are profoundly influenced by the social distribution and delivery of responsibilities, the perceived notions of public and private liability, the magnitude and scale of events, and the resource and technological capacity of those involved. Yet the roles and responsibilities of individuals and collectivities vary from society to society. In some instances they are relatively well-defined while in other cases ambiguities are not uncommon. In this regard, Burton et al., (1993) show that an individual householder may be reluctant to take precautions against a snow avalanche because he believes that precautions should be carried out by the community or because community views or policies do not favor such adjustment actions.