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SAMRISK-2-Samfunnssikkerhet og risiko

Risk management strategies when households face collapsing electricity and digital infrastructure

Alternative title: Husholds risikohåndtering ved tap av elektrisitet og digital infrastruktur. En komparativ og multimetodisk studie

Awarded: NOK 8.4 mill.

This project starts from three premises: (i) that households have become critically dependent on electricity and ICT, (ii) that authorities have given insufficient attention to this vulnerability; and (iii) that local populations represent a significant, but under rated resource for the handling of such crises. Households,as a core framework for crisis handeling, was thus the focussed context in this project. By applying a wide variety of methods, qualitative as well as quantitative, the project has studied the practices of ordinary people with an aim to reveal the Resources households represent to preparednes and crisis handling. The central analytical tool has been by way of comparisons: For one, the attitudes and competences in households have been compared to public crisis plans (a vertical comparison) in order to reveal functional and dysfunctional connections. Methods applied were: fieldwork in two local sites that had experienced a serious crisis situation With electricity and ICT outage (Lærdal and the Dagmar storm), interviews of householders in urban and rural sites who had no such experience, country representive surveys and document analyses. Secondly, aspects of national preparedness regimes and practices in Norway were compared to that of Sweden and Iceland (horizontal comparison) to better reveal strengths and weaknesses in the interplay of public and popular preparedness. The project has aimed to contribute With knowledge and impact to both the academic and public community. An overiew and more information about the project's different academic (articles, reports, Conference papers) and Public disseiminations (interactive Exhibition at the Science museum, newspaper chronicle, stand at the science fair, postcast and media) can be found at the Project web site: Links: https://homerisk.wordpress.com/publications/ or: https://homerisk.wordpress.com/

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The main objective of HOMERISK is to study citizen-consumers risk perception; risk plans and practices related to risk when electricity and ICT infrastructures break down. Insufficient attention has been paid to how ordinary people deal with emergency sit uations, how prepared households are if such crisis should occur, and the importance of individuals in risk management. Thus, the project employs a bottom up perspective, building research on ordinary citizens/households and how they relate to risk in the ir everyday life. Practice theory and ANT are used to emphasize the importance of habits and routines, as well as the significance of networks. The project uses methodological triangulation; document analysis, interview, fieldwork, tour narrative and surv ey. After reviewing national risk plans, we study six recent events where electricity and ICT infrastructure were affected, focusing on the household. Then we study the preparedness of households, paying special attention to the rural-urban dimension. Las tly, we employ a stakeholder approach concentrating on their perception of citizens' role in risk management. HOMERISK has a strong comparative perspective: Vertically we compare risk perception and preparedness among citizens with existing national crisi s plans, and study the extent to which they are aligned. Horizontally we compare risk regimes in Norway, Sweden and Iceland to highlight differences and similarities, and to transfer knowledge on risk management within the Nordic countries. The countries are selected because they face similar risks and consequences, but have dealt with risk in different ways. Project results will be used to strengthen the role of citizens in future policy making on national risk management, and draw attention to the poten tial discrepancy between citizen and governmental expectations. The results are disseminated academically through conferences, journal articles and reports, and to user groups through chronicles and an exhibition.

Publications from Cristin

Funding scheme:

SAMRISK-2-Samfunnssikkerhet og risiko

Thematic Areas and Topics