Conceptualizing disaster waste governance using network governance perspectives

Abstract

The establishment of an effective disaster waste management (DWM) system is necessary for a resilient and sustainable society. Although some DWM guidelines have been developed and there has been some progress in DWM research, little progress has been made in developing a theory of how the various aspects of DWM relate to each other and lead to effective, collaborative DWM. Here, we present a new conceptual model of disaster waste governance. Empirical studies on DWM were reviewed to clarify the current understanding of how DWM operation is affected by other nontechnical aspects. This knowledge was then incorporated into the disaster waste governance model, based on the perspectives of network governance theory, to capture the collaborative nature of DWM. The new model assumes that waste governance competency, consisting of actor capacity and network competency, rests at the core, connecting waste management after disasters with solid waste management, preparedness, and mitigation in normal times. A detailed description of this disaster waste governance model is further provided by drawing on examples from recent disasters in Japan and other countries. The proposed model allows stakeholders to comprehensively understand the relationship between key aspects of collaborative DWM, which can serve as a common framework to compare DWM experiences from different cities/countries and as a tool to help identify gaps in policies when aiming to achieve an effective and collaborative DWM system.