How do social connections accelerate post-flood recovery? Insights from a survey of rural households in central Vietnam

Abstract

Post-flood recovery is one of the biggest challenges to both residents and authorities in developing countries. Rapid recovery is meaningful because delays increase social costs and deepen and prolong economic and social pain. By blending quantitative and qualitative approaches, this study investigated the post-flood recovery speed in association with household characteristics and social connections and identified the contribution of these actors in different recovery sub-phases. Four flood-prone villages in Quang Dien district, Thua Thien Hue Province, central Vietnam, were selected for this case study. The multiple linear regression model (OLS) determining the post-flood recovery speed first indicated the ineffectiveness of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, including age, educational qualifications, number of laborers, non-farm jobs, and income level. Social connection, meanwhile, appeared as a crucial factor accelerating households' rehabilitation. Accordingly, connections with relatives and informal groups were more valuable than those with friends, neighbors, and formal groups. The subdivision of the recovery process further reveals the variation in the role of connections in different recovery sub-phases. The key role of relatives and neighbors was highlighted through their striking support in almost all categories, both in the immediate post-flood and in the short-term phase. Though fairly modest in the early stage, support from friends, formal groups, informal groups, and local government, tended to increase in the short-term (especially for informal groups and local governments). The long-term recovery phase witnessed significant contributions from local government through financial and career-related support. Besides stressing the vital role of social connection in accelerating post-flood recovery, these findings pointed out their dynamics in the recovery sub-phases that should be integrated into the post-flood rehabilitation policy.