Knowledge & Research
Generating knowledge, ideas, and practices to address systemic gaps
PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH
Inclusive disaster recovery networks:
Implications for cross-sectoral collaboration in disaster
Kayla C. Gilligan, Bethany B. Cutts, Andrew Loeb Shoenig, Teshanee Williams, Kathryn Stevenson, Uchenna Osia, Jacob Hunter
Disaster recovery in the United States relies on federally coordinated programs to distribute funding and information across government, nonprofit, and community organizations. Yet coordination structures can suppress organisational learning and innovation (normative) and reproduce unequal burdens within cross-sectoral collaboration (structural), contributing to uneven recovery outcomes for communities facing compounded risks. Research exploring how cross-sectoral collaboration challenges or reproduces these barriers is needed. To address this, we examine the normative and structural implications of the North Carolina Inclusive Disaster Recovery Network (NCIDR), a cross-sectoral network formed to promote inclusive access to recovery resources. Analysis shows that NCIDR may provide a learning space consistent with positive deviance from institutional norms while still requiring changes to prevent structural replication of marginalization by collaboration. We discuss implications for designing disaster recovery networks that support adaptive capacity.
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From Crisis to Capacity:
Strategies for Inclusive Disaster Response and Digital Infrastructure
by Merald B. Holloway | July 8, 2024
Insights from a series of conversations with members of LISC’s Business Development Organization (BDO) Network to explore strategies for equitable small business recovery and digital transformation.
Click to ReadPOLICY BRIEF
Equitable Climate Resilience in North Carolina: Addressing Disparities in Rural Access to Federal Funding
by Jacob Hunter, MPP | July 8, 2024
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) is one federal grant program that aims to support communities in reducing disaster risks and building climate resilience. However, the distribution of these grants has been inequitable, with only a small percentage of funding awarded to low-capacity rural communities. This is a significant issue as rural areas are often more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and have limited resources to address them. In this report, we outline recommendations in three key areas so that rural communities can gain more equitable access to climate resilience funding and better prepare for the challenges posed by climate change.
Click to ReadRESEARCH REPORT
Landscape Review of Disaster Resources in North Carolina
April 2024
When you think of disasters in North Carolina, hurricanes are the first thing that comes to mind. In March 2020, COVID-19 forced many of us to consider a broader understanding of the kinds of hazards that can affect our state and our neighbors. Our traditional systems of response and recovery – already imperfect – were tested and stretched as the pandemic revealed how underserved communities were disproportionately impacted. Acknowledging their valuable role in addressing disasters, philanthropic organizations have taken the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity for reflection, planning, and coordination about how to ensure their grantmaking is efficient, effective, and equitable. In service of that goal, this report explores four facets of the disaster landscape in North Carolina. 1. Hazards Affecting North Carolina, 2. Cross Sectoral Disaster Networks, 3. Approaches to Inclusion and Equity in Disasters, 4. The Role of Philanthropic Organizations in the Disaster Cycle. Funded by The Duke Endowment.
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