Early Warning for Early Action: Toward more behaviorally-informed Early Warning Systems
Abstract as pdf
Corresponding Author:
Lauren Woodside Alegre
Food for the Hungry Peru
lwoodside@fh.org
Author(s):
Josh Ayers1 , Supriya Akerkar2 , Claire Boswell3 , Ann Jimmerson4 and Mary Decoster5
1Food For The Hungry, Jayers@Fh.Org, USA
2Oxford Brookes University, Sakerkar@Brookes.Ac.Uk, GBR
3Food For The Hungry, Cboswell@Fh.Org, USA
4Independent, Annbjimerson@Gmail.Com, USA
5Food For The Hungry, Mdecoster@Fh.Org, USA
EWSs are only as good as the actions they catalyzeÍž action is an essential part of any warning system. If a warning is sounded, and no one takes the action that the warning was intended to trigger, then the warning system failed. (IFRC, 2012)
As our understanding of socio-economic and cultural constructions of risk have evolved, so too have our understandings of what is required for timely and effective early warning systems (EWS). The resulting movement toward more peoplecentered early warning systems (PC-EWSs) has improved the overall quality of warning information collected and analyzed along with the timeliness and quality of warning messages. Though elements of EWSs, such as warning messages, have become more people-centered, EWSs are still primarily designed from a technocratic perspective, aimed at informing preparedness and humanitarian relief efforts by governments and official stakeholders. Less progress has been made to understand how to best elicit early preparation, prevention, and mitigation actions from exposed and vulnerable populations themselves.
In an effort to contribute to the improvement of PC-EWSs, this paper reviews current literature on the role of social-cognitive perspectives, culture, perceptions of risk, and other aspects of individual and social worldviews that influence how we sense, think, and act in relation to early warning information, messages, and preparedness efforts. Furthermore, we build on existing notions of people-centered early warning systems, incorporating social and behavior change theories and experience to propose a new, behaviorally-informed EWS framework. Rather than the orthodox starting point for EWS focusing on hazard data and analysis, this new framework proposes to “flip the script” by beginning with identifying the desired early actions of the exposed and vulnerable populations and the behavioral determinants that influence decisions to take those actions. We then propose that the EW information collected and analyzed is relevant for prompting the identified action. Furthermore, EW messages should be tailored to behaviors and actions, specifically addressing previously identified behavioral determinants, as opposed to only focusing on informing about the impending hazard. As a case study to provide some grounding for each of the key themes found in the literature, the research team chose the pastoralist context of northern Kenya’s Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs). As such, the reader will encounter context specific examples and excerpts taken from Kenya’s ASALs as illustrations within each thematic section. We then conclude with recommendations to the practitioner and donor communities that support more behaviorally-informed EWSs.
Emerging voices and pathways to inclusive disaster studies