Mapping boundary interactions across earthquake science and humanitarian-development communities for disaster risk reduction

Abstract

Building on social learning theory and employing a case-study approach this paper set out to explore the degree and nature of boundary interactions taking place between earthquake scientists and humanitarian-development non-governmental organisations as two stakeholders in disaster risk reduction. Framing boundary work(BW) as an inclusive process of active participation between social worlds, it draws on qualitative interview data to develop and analytically employ a boundary working typology to map the social mobility of earthquake scientists and NGO practitioners across Community of Practice boundaries. While the analysis identifies a number of individuals to be socially interacting in modes of boundary learning fitting of the typology, it uncovers additional boundary processes including varying efforts to manage community boundaries. It finds one-off encounters marked by transfers of explicit information to present the dominant form of engagement and flags a number of challenges associated with maintaining more socially-rich boundary learning interactions. Personal boundary relationships prove of critical importance and the potential for gatekeeping individuals and institutions to act in a supportive capacity is highlighted. Aiming to bring a richer level of analysis to the complexity of boundary processes taking place the paper presents a transferable tool with the utility to aid self-reflection in attempting to navigate the boundary landscape while allowing funders to gain a greater appreciation of the many forms BW can take in order to better support it.