IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/cog/poango/v8y2020i4p432-444.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Governance, Institutions and People within the Interface of a Tsunami Early Warning System

Author

Listed:
  • Maheshika Sakalasuriya

    (Global Disaster Resilience Centre, University of Huddersfield, UK)

  • Richard Haigh

    (Global Disaster Resilience Centre, University of Huddersfield, UK)

  • Siri Hettige

    (Centre for Development Research and Interventions, Sri Lanka)

  • Dilanthi Amaratunga

    (Global Disaster Resilience Centre, University of Huddersfield, UK)

  • Senaka Basnayake

    (Climate Resilience Department, Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre, Thailand)

  • Harkunti Rahayu

    (Bandung Institute of Technology, University of Bandung, Indonesia)

Abstract

The interface mechanism in a tsunami early warning system (TEWS) occurs between receiving tsunami information at the country level and disseminating warning and evacuation orders to the public. Three crucial actions take place during the interface: issuing the warning, disseminating it, and ordering an evacuation. Using two case studies in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, a study was undertaken to understand the nature of the interface mechanism and the social, cultural and political dynamics of its operationalisation. In this article, a comparative analysis of the two case studies is presented, focusing on the role of governance, institutions and people in this interface. The nature of governance, hierarchies and structures influence the interface mechanism and the associated decision-making mechanisms. The institutions who act as key stakeholders are also shaped by the governance structures and hierarchies within it. The efficiency of the institutions is determined by the nature of their human resources and are affected by political factors. The communities are also affected by the overall governance structure, the political dynamics and the institutional factors. The complex relationships between governance, institutions and officers that exist in the two countries affect the communities in different ways. Yet, the overall governance and institutional dynamics of TEWSs lead to a common thread of decisions and actions when operationalising the interface. The results are presented in a framework that illustrates the complex relationships between governance, institutions, officers and communities. The framework provides a basis for future research on how the interface of TEWS can be operationalised to effectively protect communities at risk from tsunami.

Suggested Citation

  • Maheshika Sakalasuriya & Richard Haigh & Siri Hettige & Dilanthi Amaratunga & Senaka Basnayake & Harkunti Rahayu, 2020. "Governance, Institutions and People within the Interface of a Tsunami Early Warning System," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(4), pages 432-444.
  • Handle: RePEc:cog:poango:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:432-444
    DOI: 10.17645/pag.v8i4.3159
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/3159
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.17645/pag.v8i4.3159?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:cog:poango:v8:y:2020:i:4:p:432-444. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: António Vieira or IT Department (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.cogitatiopress.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.