Abstract

Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), the most powerful typhoon to have ever made landfall, struck the Visayas region in November 2013. In the wake of the disaster, local and national decision makers faced challenging decisions about how best to recover from the impact of the typhoon.  Simultaneously, hundreds of international humanitarian actors streamed into the region; each brought with them plans for their own recovery projects.

This presentation will discuss the Yolanda recovery, focusing on how different rule systems have influenced outcomes, and exploring causality in situations where multiple normative forces are in play. The presentation will introduce preliminary findings from two recovery projects in Northern Cebu: 1) an in-city housing relocation program; and 2) a project that aims to relocate, as well as provide housing and land ownership to its beneficiaries. The study considers the vantage point of the donor relationship with its incumbent constraints, juxtaposing this with views from ‘the community(ies)’ with their various competing interests and expectations of relationships and conduct. Particular attention will be given to the way various rule structures create incentives, which affect the conduct of different stakeholders in the project environment.

About the lecturer

Caroline Compton is a doctoral candidate at the Australian National University (ANU) College of Law.  Her research explores how complex institutional environments respond to exogenous shock. She received an Endeavour Postgraduate Scholarship to fund fieldwork in the Philippines, where she is examining how property and housing interventions in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan challenge, and are constrained by, institutional orthodoxies. She is currently a Visiting Research Associate at the Institute of Philippine Culture, Ateneo de Manila University.  Prior to commencing her studies at ANU, Caroline spent a number of years working on development projects in Vietnam. Caroline holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from the University of New South Wales, a Master of Education from the University of Technology, Sydney and a Juris Doctor (Hons) from the Australian National University.

* For inquiries or confirmation of your attendance, please contact (+63 2) 426-6001 extension 4651 local 213, or email us at <ipc.soss@ateneo.edu>.