ОЦІНЮВАННЯ СОЦІАЛЬНОЇ ВРАЗЛИВОСТІ: ТЕОРЕТИКО-МЕТОДОЛОГІЧНІ АСПЕКТИ

Abstract

The development of effective strategies and making operative decisions in the emergency management system should be based on a comprehensive assessment of the vulnerability of social systems. To this end, it is necessary to develop its theoretical and methodological foundations in the direction of ensuring its comprehensiveness. The author formulated a definition of vulnerability as a property of the social system, characterized by the degree of susceptibility, sensitivity to the harmful effects of hazardous events and at the same time the degree of ability to cope with them, resist and recover from them. The main vulnerability factors are analyzed, such as disposition, exposure to the effects of disaster, catastrophe; susceptibility and resilience. Four components of social vulnerability (economic, social, environmental, physical) and the main indicators for their assessment are highlighted. It is shown that economic vulnerability characterizes the potential impact of hazards on economic processes, property or certain sectors of the economy; social – refers to certain population groups who are not able to cope with disasters, their relations, the nature of relations with society; environmental – includes indicators that characterize the impact of hazardous events on the natural environment (flora, fauna, ecosystems, biodiversity); physical – determines the possibility, potential of a certain element or system to undergo changes or sustain damage under the influence of natural or anthropogenic hazards. An analysis of mental vulnerability is proposed, which includes not only the attitudes of individuals or groups in relation to the world around them, including dangers and threats, but also the general way of thinking, certain knowledge and skills to overcome problems. A logical-structural scheme of social vulnerability research has been developed, which enables a comprehensive selection of indicators for each of its components (economic, social, environmental, physical and mental) through the prism of exposure, susceptibility and resilience. Comprehensive assessment of social vulnerability is a prerequisite for developing measures to reduce it, which can prevent human, physical and economic losses.