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    Adapting To Risk And Perpetuating Poverty: Household’s Strategies For Managing Flood Risk And Water Scarcity In Mexico City

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    Date
    2016-12-01
    Author
    Eakin, Hallie
    Lerner, Amy M.
    Manuel-Navarrete, David
    Hernández Aguilar, Bertha
    Martínez-Canedo, Alejandra
    Tellman, Beth
    Charli-Joseph, Lakshmi
    Fernández Álvarez, Rafael
    Bojórquez-Tapia, Luis
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    Abstract
    Adaptation is typically conceived uniquely in positive terms, however for some populations, investments in risk management can entail significant tradeoffs. Here we discuss the burden for households of coping with, and adapting to, adverse water conditions in economically marginal areas of Mexico City. We argue that households’ efforts to adapt in conditions of marginality can come at the expense of households’ investment in other aspects of human welfare, reinforcing poverty traps. Both economic theory and social-ecological systems analysis point to the importance of cross-scalar investments and institutional support in breaking down persistent poverty traps. Using data from twelve focus groups conducted in Mexico City, we illustrate how such cross-scale connectivity is failing as a result of lack of trust and transparency, the difficulty of collective action, and the devolution of some responsibilities for risk management from the public sector to the household level. We conclude our analysis by arguing for greater attention to these tradeoffs in public policy to help ensure that adaptation does not come at the cost of more generic welfare gains among the most vulnerable populations.
    URI
    https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/13960
    Citation
    Eakin. H. et al. (2016) 'Adapting To Risk And Perpetuating Poverty: Household’s Strategies For Managing Flood Risk And Water Scarcity In Mexico City, Environmental Science & Policy Volume 66, December 2016, Pages 324-333
    DOI
    10.1016/j.envsci.2016.06.006
    More details
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1462901116302921?via%3Dihub
    Rights holder
    © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
    Rights details
    http://www.ids.ac.uk/files/dmfile/IDSOpenDocsStandardTermsOfUse.pdf
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    • ESRC STEPS Centre [224]

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