Administrative Resilience in the Face of Natural Disasters: Empirical Evidence from Bangladesh

Administrative resilience is a key tool to stimulate an administrative system to protect, save, and reduce livelihood vulnerability in the face of natural hazards. The main purpose of this study is to explore the potential of administrative resilience to improve livelihood resilience in the context of the vulnerable char (island) people of Bangladesh. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches have been applied to data gathered from hazard-prone char areas. The findings show that due to low education and organizational participation, most of the char dwellers are not aware of their rights, though they are still suffering from a lack of basic public services. The study also reveals that the administrative system of the local char areas is not able to respond to adverse effects of natural disasters due to ignorance, inefficiency, lack of commitment, accountability and corruption. The administrative system of the char areas fails to manage the harmful impact of natural disasters on the social system. This study also finds that administrative resilience is poor in the vulnerable char areas in Bangladesh and that char dwellers are unable to help themselves due to chronic poverty, seasonal unemployment, poor communication networks, and geographical isolation. Context-specific disaster management policies and effective monitoring systems should be developed by the government to improve administrative response in the geographically isolated areas.