Natural-Hazard Reduction and Sustainable Development: A Global Assessment

Abstract

This article reviews how the principles of sustainable development can be applied to natural-hazard reduction in developing countries. At issue is the extent to which sustainable development can be achieved through planning, and the role international aid plays in linking natural-hazard reduction to sustainable development. A conceptual framework is then offered for evaluating the impacts of outside aid on long-term hazard reduction efforts (and by implication, sustainable development). The consistent use of such framework would increase the validity of future studies of aid programs and improve the understanding about the adequacy of different institutional arrangements within the international aid delivery system.