Developing NGO competencies in post-disaster reconstruction: a theoretical framework

In the aftermath of recent natural disasters, NGOs have become increasingly involved in the permanent reconstruction of affected communities. These organizations, often operating well outside their expertise, encounter significant barriers as they implement reconstruction programmes. This paper presents the theoretical bedrock of a current research project, the overall goal of which is to design a competency-based framework model that can be used by NGOs in post-disaster reconstruction projects. Drawing on established theories of management, a unique perspective has been developed from which a competency-based reconstruction theory emerges. This theoretical framework brings together three distinct fields; Disaster Management, Strategic Management and Project Management, each vital to the success of the model. This theoretical study will incorporate a critical review of literature within each field. It is imperative that NGOs involved in post-disaster reconstruction familiarize themselves with concepts and strategies. It is hoped that the competence-based frame-work model that is produced on the basis of this theory will help define the standard of best practice to which future NGO projects might align themselves.

The police officer's terrorist dilemma: Trust resilience following fatal errors

Suicide attacks have raised the stakes for officers deciding whether or not to shoot a suspect ('Police Officer's Terrorist Dilemma'). Despite high-profile errors we know little about how trust in the police is affected by their response to the terrorist threat. Building on a conceptualisation of lay observers as intuitive signal detection theorists, a general population sample (N= 1153) were presented with scenarios manipulated in terms of suspect status (Armed/Unarmed), officer decision (Shoot/Not Shoot) and outcome severity (e.g. suspect armed with Bomb/Knife; police shoot suspect/ suspect plus child bystander). Supporting predictions, people showed higher trust in officers who made correct decisions. reflecting good discrimination ability and who decided to shoot, reflecting an 'appropriate' response bias given the relative costs and benefits. This latter effect was moderated by (a) outcome severity, suggesting it did not simply reflect a preference for a particular type of action, and (b) preferences for a tough stance towards terrorism indexed by Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA). Despite loss of civilian life, failure to prevent minor terror attacks resulted in no loss of trust amongst people low in RWA. whereas among people high in RWA trust was positive when police erroneously shot all unarmed suspect. Relations to alternative definitions of trust and procedural justice research are discussed. Copyright (C),. 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Noise resilience and entanglement evolution in two nonequivalent classes of quantum algorithms

The speedup provided by quantum algorithms with respect to their classical counterparts is at the origin of scientific interest in quantum computation. However, the fundamental reasons for such a speedup are not yet completely understood and deserve further attention. In this context, the classical simulation of quantum algorithms is a useful tool that can help us in gaining insight. Starting from the study of general conditions for classical simulation, we highlight several important differences between two nonequivalent classes of quantum algorithms. We investigate their performance under realistic conditions by quantitatively studying their resilience with respect to static noise. This latter refers to errors affecting the initial preparation of the register used to run an algorithm. We also compare the evolution of the entanglement involved in the different computational processes.

Mapping NGO Competency to Reduce Human Vulnerability in Post-disaster Communities: Comparing Strategies in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

Natural hazards trigger disasters, the scale of which is largely determined by vulnerability. Developing countries suffer the most from disasters due to various conditions of vulnerability which exist and there is an opportunity after disasters to take mitigative action. NGOs implementing post-disaster rehabilitation projects must be able to address the issues causing communities to live at risk of disaster and therefore must build dynamic capacity, capabilities and competencies, enabling them to operate in unstable environments. This research is built upon a theoretical framework of dynamic competency established by combining elements of disaster management, strategic management and project management theory. A number of NGOs which have implemented reconstruction and rehabilitation projects both in Sri Lanka following the Asian Tsunami and Bangladesh following Cyclone Sidr are being investigated in great depth using a causal mapping procedure. ‘Event’ specific maps have been developed for each organization in each disaster. This data will be analysed with a view to discovering the strategies which lead to vulnerability reduction in post-disaster communities and the competencies that NGOs must possess in order to achieve favourable outcomes. It is hypothesized that by building organizational capacity, capabilities and competencies to be dynamic in nature, while focusing on a more emergent strategic approach, with emphasis on adaptive capability and innovation, NGOs will be better equipped to contribute to sustainable community development through reconstruction. We believe that through this study it will be possible to glean a new understanding of social processes that emerge within community rehabilitation projects.

Resilience, Risk and Protective Factors for British-Indian Children of Divorce

This paper considers resilience as a dynamic concept by looking at risk and protective factors for children of divorce in British-Indian Hindu and Sikh families using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model for human development. The paper draws from a qualitative study which is based on data collected on experiences of twentyone British-Indian Adult Children of Divorce to illustrate risk and protective factors within cultural ideology, community and macro contexts. The paper concludes that resilience in individuals and communities needs to be considered as a process that is influenced by the interaction of the ecological systems. Risk and protective factors cannot be categorically identified and dynamic processes need to be acknowledged within particular contexts. This is particularly important for practitioners working with minority ethnic children and families towards understanding diversity of experiences and perspectives within minority cultures.