Disasters as opportunities for social change: Using the multi-level perspective to consider the barriers to disaster-related transitions

We examine the suitability of using the multi-level perspective to describe disaster-related transitions and their barriers in an institutional environment that expects disaster responders, such as government agencies, to adhere to the increasingly established principles of disaster risk reduction. We created a process-tracing test based on disaster and transition literature and applied it to two cases: Cyclone Nargis and Hurricane Katrina. In applying this test we found that multi-level perspective is a valid way to describe disaster-related transitions. We also determined that both the concepts of build back better and disaster risk reduction influenced the transitions. Moreover, a lack of resources and a strong government desire for control presented obstacles to transition. These disaster-related transitions have implications for policy considerations. Knowledge from this article can inform future studies on disaster response and recovery.