Resettlement Policy Research Articles

Landslide mitigation strategies in southeast Bangladesh: Lessons learned from the institutional responses

The paper examines how local-level institutions mitigate landslide hazards in southeast Bangladesh. In this context, sixteen sub-districts (Upazila) were selected as sample sites from the southeastern districts through disproportionate quota sampling for a sample survey. Forty-five officials were interviewed by using a semi-structured questionnaire at the local level. The study reveals two types of measures (i.e., structural and non-structural) that have been taken by local-level institutions under the National Plan of Disaster Management (NPDM) as there is no Landslide-specific Disaster Management Policy in southeast Bangladesh. The study explores that the structural measures (guide wall and retaining wall for slope stabilization, resettlement, small-scale plantation, etc.) are insufficient due to the financial constraints. The findings reveal that the emergency responses (eviction, temporary evacuation, dissemination of early warning, etc.) are adequate to reduce the landslide-induced causality; however, the non-structural measures (such as early warning system, housing facilities, community-based awareness-raising programs with more training and workshops, rehabilitation activities, etc.) need special attention to mitigate landslide hazards. The results also suggest that resettlement policy should consider the ethnic culture along with other regional factors of a diversified hilly environment. It also puts forward an institution-based solution, including a comprehensive official landslide database with sustainable hill management mechanisms. Such evidence epitomizes a significant foremost step in developing realistic mitigation strategies for landslide-prone areas with similar socio-economic, cultural, and regional settings like southeast Bangladesh.

Review: Picturing Indians: Native Americans in Film, 1941–1960, by Liza Black

Review: <i>Picturing Indians: Native Americans in Film, 1941–1960</i>, by Liza Black

The history of the Semirechensk resettlement administration and the implementation of the colonial policy in the region

The article examines the resettlement policy of the Russian Empire at the beginning of the 20th cen­ tury and the activities of the Semirechye resettlement administration. The history of the Semirechensky resettlement institution is considered on the basis of the clerical documentation of the Administration, which is stored in the 19th fund of the Central State Archives of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In the fund, clerical documentation based on protocols, reports, personal documents of staff members, correspon­ dence, historical information, has been studied from the source side. In the course of the analysis of the clerical documentation of the Semirechensk resettlement administration, the principles of objectivity and historicism of source study were taken as a basis. The Russian Empire in the Semirechensk Territory carried out a colonial policy and the resettle­ ment of Russian peasants through the local resettlement administration. The article analyzes the factual information about immigrants in all districts of the Semirechensk region, the staff of the Semirechensk resettlement administration, the boundary and hydrotechnical works carried out. Key words: Semirechensk resettlement administration, archival documents, source study, resettle­ ment, Semirechensk region. &nbsp; &nbsp;

Central and Local Authority Policy in the Sphere of Land Management and Crimean Resettlement in the 1920s

The problem of demographic processes in Crimea is acutely relevant in the light of recent political events. Besides, this issue is gaining more scientific importance due to the fact that during the Soviet period, Crimea conducted special demographic and migration policy, different from all adjacent regions. The consequences of the Soviet demographic and migration policy now impact the elaboration of a stable position and action plan of Ukraine on the deoccupation of the peninsula, the development of state policy towards the indigenous peoples of Crimea, etc. It is worth mentioning that Crimea was of special strategic importance for the USSR, and therefore the demographic structure of the population of the peninsula constituted a subject of particular attention as for the Union leadership so for the heads of local executive and party bodies. In addition, Crimea had special conditions for economic activity, different from other regions, and thus migration processes within the peninsula were to be planned and carried out according to the policy of the Soviet government and the Crimean socioeconomic situation. The scholarly research has not yet properly reflected the problem of the migration policy of the USSR in Crimea in the 1920s, so this blank space must be filled.&#x0D; The article considers the policy pursued by the Bolshevik Party and its subordinate Soviet authorities on the issue of relocation and resettlement of the Crimean population within the peninsula. The research is based on the analysis of materials of the State Archives of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, which are currently inaccessible to Ukrainian scholars due to the occupation of the peninsula. The article also provides the analysis of the Soviet leaders’ plans on relocating the population to Crimea and its settlement, the prerequisites and factors that influenced the development and implementation of local demographic and migration policies. It studies some aspects of the Soviet leadership plans on resolving the national question in the USSR in general due to the resettlement policy in Crimea, namely creating there a Jewish republic. Special attention is paid to the resettlement of Tatar families to Crimea. It is noted that the migration policy of the Soviet government within the Crimean peninsula had a contradictory character, which led to the overall failure of the developed large-scale plans.

HYDROGRAPHIC RESEARCH IN TURKESTAN BY RUSSIAN EMPIRE: GOALS AND METHODS.

The article provides general concepts of hydrographic research in Turkestan, which was began in the 19th century and for geostrategic reasons were carried out mainly by the Russian Empire. The author reveals the military-strategic, socio-economic, scientific and practical nature of the objectives of these studies. In particular, the results of hydrographic research served to conquer territory of Central Asia, establish navigation in the Aral Sea, Amu Darya and Syr Darya, exert political pressure on the Bukhara Emirate and the Khiva Khanate, expand irrigated lands in Turkestan, develop cotton growing, carry out resettlement policy, design water facilities, replenishment geographic data about the region. &#x0D; It is noteworthy that hydrographic expeditions collected information not only in this area, but also of a historical, ethnographic, economic and statistical nature. Also, the article discusses the scientific methods of conducting such research, the establishment of continuous hydrometric works and through archival materials it is substantiated that this area was of great practical importance, as evidenced by the annual increase in its funding. The importance of hydrographic research for the formation of hydrological science in Turkestan and for the further development of irrigation and water supply in the region is revealed.

The long goodbye on a disappearing, ancestral island: a just retreat from Isle de Jean Charles.

Climate change will necessitate evermore frequent and complex managed retreats in the future, and drafting policies that are equitable and just for those residents who are relocating will be essential. The USA’s first federally funded, community-scale, climate-driven resettlement is currently underway in coastal Louisiana. In January 2016, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded the state of Louisiana $48.3 million to plan, design, and implement a structured, just, and scalable resettlement with former and current Isle de Jean Charles residents. Most Island households are multi-generational and directly descended from Jean Marie Naquin, after whose father the Island is named. Using interviews, ethnographic data, and policy documents, this paper will delineate and analyze the dimensions of sense of place, which, in this case, prompted policy changes dramatically different from standard relocation policies: assurance that the properties and land from which residents are departing will remain in their possession as long as the land remains. For most Island residents, this was non-negotiable. The intangible connection to place—feelings of belonging, lifestyle, family connections, and culture—plays a central role in many families’ decision to stay or go. The choice to relocate is rooted in this complex entanglement of identity, familial ties, land loss, historical and current marginalization, and a way of life passed on by multiple generations. In forthcoming community resettlements, continued access and ownership of the properties being left behind should be considered as a critical component for planning just retreats.

How does resettlement policy affect the place attachment of resettled farmers?

Resettlement policy has broken the emotional link between farmers and rural communities. However, most research in this area has focused on the perspective of economic compensation rather than emotional cognition. This study considered the emotional cognition of resettled farmers using the theory of “place attachment,” based on a statistical analysis of questionnaire results following 32 in-depth interviews. A theoretical hypothesis was constructed to explain the influence of resettlement policy on place attachment using the results of 315 questionnaires, with the structural equation model (SEM) method applied to test the hypothesis. The results showed that the classical two-dimensional classification of place attachment (place dependence and place identity) had good statistical applicability for expressing the emotional link between resettled farmers and their former rural community. It was found that six factors generated by the resettlement policy affect farmers’ place attachment: policy evaluation, space shortage, space improvement, rural attributes, land rootedness, and community inclusion. Our findings indicate that in the context of Chinese social culture, resettlement policy has not only materially changed the spatial environment but also the fundamental meaning of place for farmers. Our results provide new insight into how resettlement policy has influenced resettled farmers in the urbanization of China.

Welfare-Dependent Refugees?: Evidence from County Welfare Management System Data in Western New York

This study tests an assumption of refugee resettlement policy: Refugees are dependent on welfare. Using administrative data from a county government, we compare the probability of receiving welfare for an extended time between refugees and citizens. We use receiving state-funded welfare benefits as an indicator of long-term reliance on welfare, as families lose eligibility for federally-funded benefits after 60 months on welfare. Logit regressions find that refugees are significantly less likely to receive state-funded welfare than citizens, controlling for family head’s characteristics and family composition. Analysis results discredit public fears of long-term fiscal burden from refugees’ welfare dependency.

Safe from what? Understanding environmental non-migration in Chilean Patagonia through ontological security and risk perceptions

Why do communities prefer to stay in place despite potentially dangerous changes in their environment, even when governmental support for outmigration or resettlement is provided? That is the key question this paper seeks to answer. Voluntary immobility is a burgeoning research topic in environmental change-related migration studies, although the role of local sense-making of perceived risks and migration pressures has received only little attention. In order to examine decisions for non-migration, we argue that we need to consider people’s ontological security, or subjective sense of existential safety, which shapes risk perceptions. We apply this to the case of Villa Santa Lucía in Chilean Patagonia, where the local population has rejected relocation policies after the village was severely damaged by a mudslide in December 2017. We show how this rejection is not based on the lack of abilities to move, but on a fundamentally different risk assessment grounded in locally specific social representations of nature and human-nature relations. This alternative understanding of environmental risks allows the local population to uphold their sense of ontological security while remaining in Villa Santa Lucía, and renders relocation to avoid exposure to natural hazards futile or even inconsistent with local identities. We conclude that local sense-making of environmental risks is an important component of a more fine-grained understanding of environmental non-migration decisions.

The historical fate of the rural settlement network in Russia: the case of Tomsk Oblast, 1940s–1980s

ABSTRACT This article discusses the practice of designing and restructuring the rural settlement network of Tomsk Oblast from the 1940s through to the 1980s. The focus is on those rural settlements that were seen as having no prospect of further economic development, and whose consolidation constituted the basis of the USSR resettlement policy. Planning schemes and area planning projects created for some areas of Tomsk Oblast are examined, and the results of the implementation of these projects are summarized. The article also explores the socio-economic development of Tomsk villages and the agricultural production crisis in the north of Tomsk Oblast with regard to their impact on migration in the region’s rural areas and subsequent depopulation thereof. It identifies the influence of the state reforms on the relationship between the Soviet village and the Soviet authorities, and changes in the adaptation practices of the Soviet peasants in response to the state’s policy to increase labour productivity on collective farms.

Analysis of system parameters for one-way carsharing systems

ABSTRACT Recently, carsharing has emerged as an alternative to vehicle ownership in many countries worldwide. This study examines the system parameters of one-way carsharing systems to determine a trade-off between the lost sales rate and system parameters. Four system parameters are considered in this study, namely average number of vehicles per station, rate of one-way trip, average number of staffs per station, and relocation policy. The performance of round-trip carsharing systems is also compared to that of one-way carsharing systems. A regression model is developed to predict the lost sales rate based on the various operational conditions for a one-way carsharing system. The findings of the study provide tools to understand the impact of carsharing system parameters on the efficiency of carsharing operations and predict the performance of such systems when any modifications occur.

Unpaid commuting stress: Evaluation of the relocation policy of the Beijing Municipal Government

This article examines the impact of the relocation policy of the Beijing Municipal Government on the turnover intention of staff. Based on 1005 questionnaires and an instrumental variable regression, we find that commute dissatisfaction and family dilemmas are important reasons for the increased turnover intention after relocation. Female staff, partners who are both working in the Beijing Municipal Government, and staff with children attending good schools in Beijing were severely affected, particularly due to family dilemmas. Planners and policymakers need to manage the potential jobs-housing imbalances that emerge from intra-metropolitan government job resettlement plans. Subsequently, policies to improve the living conditions of new subcenters can increase the benefits of the population and employment decentralization as part of public sector relocation plans.

Gendered prisons, relationships and resettlement policies; three reasons for caution for imprisoned mothers

Abstract Drawing on the lived experiences and perceptions of five imprisoned mothers, this article critically explores female prisons, relationships and resettlement policies in England and Wales. The findings indicate how the infusing of gendered, informal social controls into penal interventions and penal policy has the potential to harm mothers. This is why three reasons for caution are proposed in relation to ‘structural obstacles’, ‘continued exposure to abuse’ and ‘ascribed reputations’. With these challenges, the mother’s aspirations for a crime- and drug-free future may be thwarted. Therefore, by showing the complex and dynamic set of circumstances that mothers in prison must navigate, more clearly, the need for a nuanced approach for working with women can be appreciated.

The paradox of cultivating community resiliency: Re-agrarianisation and De-peasantisation of indigenous farmers in Taiwan

The past decade has witnessed an emerging interest in growing quinoa in indigenous townships in Taiwan, which has overlapped with the recovery effort from disasters following Typhoon Morakot in 2009. This paper critically examines the acclaim given to the quinoa boom as testifying to the community resilience of the indigenous people displaced by disasters and relocation policies. Tracing the changing socio-ecologies of the indigenous communities, the case study observes the simultaneous reagrarianization and depeasantization of indigenous farmers in response to a series of crises. It illustrates the ongoing depeasantization underneath the expansion of quinoa growing, which is engendering a set of paradoxical practices of community resilience that is restructuring the landscape of communities.

The socio-economic impact of relocation policy to the communities affected by the mount sinabung eruption: a preliminary study

Mount Sinabung has long been dormant. Since 2010, the great giant has woken up from the big sleep and has periodically been erupting ever since. The series of eruption resulted in catastrophic damage to many of the surrounding area, resulted in inhabitable villages. Many of the relocated inhabitants returned to their home village for one or more reasons while some others never moved at all. This indicated that there are some problems in the relocation policy. As a part of the research project ‘The Socio-Economic Impact of Relocation Policy to the Communities Affected by Mount Sinabung Eruption’, this study aims to explore the underlying factors of the returning relocated inhabitants from the relocation area to their home village and those who chose to stay in the andger area. The results demonstrated that the loss of source of income and the lack of alternative livelihood strategy are the main reasons to leave the relocation area. The secondary reason is the difficult access to children’s education and the problematic policy. From the results we learned that housing quality and the supporting facility are not the only factor that needs to be considered in the relocation plan.

Community perception of flood relocation efforts in pacitan subdistrict, pacitan regency

The flood disaster that hit Pacitan Subdistrict, Pacitan Regency has caused casualties and damage in the housing, infrastructure, and educational facilities. This disaster brought several consequences in the form of settling relocation policy. This study aims to analyze community perceptions of relocation efforts and factors that influence people’s perceptions of settlement relocation efforts. Data collection techniques through interviews, observation, and documentation of respondents in Pacitan District. Data analysis using qualitative descriptive. The results showed that some people 1) refused the existence of relocation and preferred repairs to embankments, and agreed with government efforts provided they were carefully prepared, (2) Factors influencing perceptions were physical and environmental factors in the form of embankment conditions, economic factors in the form of loss of land assets and livelihood, organizational factors in the form of delivering aspirations through various activities, and socio-cultural factors in the form of education, social relations and health.

Demand control model with combinatorial incentives and surcharges for one-way carsharing operation

One-way carsharing is an alternative shared-use transportation mode that provides flexible travel accommodations for urban mobility. However, vehicle distributions can be mismatched with demand distributions because users are not required to return to their departure locations. Conventional operator-based vehicle relocation is limited by labor resources, but user-based and demand-controlled approaches can open new avenues for mitigating vehicle imbalance. This paper proposes a method for controlling demand patterns by applying measures of combinatorial monetary incentives and surcharges. A two-level nested logit model is adopted to analyze user decisions regarding the travel process in response to differentiated pricing combinations. A user choice model is aggregated and loaded into a time-space network that reveals the dynamics of the carsharing system. An optimization framework is proposed to determine the incentives and surcharges at different stations and times of day. This paper presents an algorithm for solving the proposed optimization model, as well as an example of parameter calibration and the solving process. Case analysis suggests that the proposed method can increase revenues by 22.5% compared to a scenario without demand control and vehicle relocation policies. Comparisons suggest that the proposed demand-based control policy can achieve higher revenues than operator-based relocation, whereas operator-based relocation could satisfy greater demand.

A Multidisciplinary Review of the Inka Imperial Resettlement Policy and Implications for Future Investigations.

The rulers of the Inka empire conquered approximately 2 million km2 of the South American Andes in just under 100 years from 1438–1533 CE. Inside the empire, the elite conducted a systematic resettlement of the many Indigenous peoples in the Andes that had been rapidly colonised. The nature of this resettlement phenomenon is recorded within the Spanish colonial ethnohistorical record. Here we have broadly characterised the resettlement policy, despite the often incomplete and conflicting details in the descriptions. We then review research from multiple disciplines that investigate the empirical reality of the Inka resettlement policy, including stable isotope analysis, intentional cranial deformation morphology, ceramic artefact chemical analyses and genetics. Further, we discuss the benefits and limitations of each discipline for investigating the resettlement policy and emphasise their collective value in an interdisciplinary characterisation of the resettlement policy.

Creating and Contesting Refugee Spaces

Despite a federal resettlement policy of dispersing Vietnamese refugees entering the United States after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, refugees resisted and resettled elsewhere. Within the first decade of settlement, the largest concentration of the refugees had formed in the Los Angeles area. This article identifies a number of factors in the rise of Vietnamese communities in Los Angeles, its San Gabriel Valley suburbs, and adjoining Orange County.

Stuck in Slums: A Case Study of Slums in Islamabad, Pakistan

This paper focuses on finding answers to the reasons why people keep living in the slums and why they cannot get out of their precarious conditions. This paper looks into different reasons for people being stuck in slums from a religious perspective. Reasons for different religious groups being stuck in slums are not explored fully in the literature. The analysis draws on qualitative research with a sample of 53 semi-structured interviews conducted in 8 katchi abadis in Islamabad, Pakistan. The study shows that slums are nonhomogenous entities and are regarded as a living organism that provide safety, security, and a sense of belonging to some of the residents. The results revealed that both Christian and Muslim slum residents had different reasons for living in slums. There were not only inter-religious differences in the choice of living but intra religious differences had also been found. In the process, the paper highlights that most Christians lived in slums by choice due to strong social capital, with an exception of a few. On the other hand, Muslim slum residents lived in poverty which was a major reason most of the slum dwellers are stuck in slums. Policymakers should meet the needs of the people before implementing any policies. This is because relocation policies can bring misery to some of the slum dwellers. Finally, the paper demonstrated that slums play a pivotal role in the lives of the slum dwellers in keeping them.