Analysis of the Social Nature: The Bam Housing Reconstruction Organisation

Abstract

A participatory reconstruction programme blurs boundaries between the programme’s organisational society and society as a whole. Therefore, the dynamics of society as a whole or its representatives mixes with the way of doing things and the culture of all other participant organisations towards influencing the way the sociotechnical delivery system of the reconstruction programme works. This identifies social dynamics as an area for examination of the sociotechnical delivery system of the reconstruction programme. This chapter analyses the major social dynamics of the housing reconstruction programme in Bam that influenced the programme approaching its objectives through influences on system formation and implementation. The case of Bam interestingly presents an unintentional yet strong social learning in housing reconstruction programme and dynamisms behind that are examined. Informal social interactions facilitated by a common physical place contributed to longer-term improvements after reconstruction activities. This was despite a technocratic approach to the housing reconstruction programme system formation. The sociotechnical delivery system of reconstruction programme itself was vulnerable. Such vulnerability had physical implications and was linked to operational loophole that also was linked to inconsistencies in the initial system’s formation and implementation, and broader economic and social contexts.