Date of Award
5-2016
Degree Type
Research Paper
Degree Name
Master of Arts in International Development and Social Change (IDSC)
Department
International Development, Community and Environment
Chief Instructor
Ellen Foley, Ph.D
Second Reader
James Murphy, Ph.D
Keywords
rural coastal Tanzania, systems, resilience, natural disaster, poverty, environmental degradation
Abstract
This paper examines how two theoretical frameworks, systems and resilience thinking, provide differing understandings of natural disasters, poverty and environmental degradation in rural coastal Tanzania. Both frameworks aim to expand the scope of reductionist thinking, in order to better understand the complex interrelationships between various actors, which may have not otherwise been considered. Although both theories have their individual strengths and weaknesses, neither have been able to catalyze effective solutions to these problems. As a result, I propose a hybrid version of systems and resilience thinking, as a means to best examine poverty and environmental degradation in rural coastal Tanzania. Ultimately, this re-framing would contextualize this problem within a greater network of issues, and more appropriate solutions could be offered.
Recommended Citation
Martin, Sarah R., "Natural Disasters Aren't the Problem: Poverty and Environmental Degradation in Rural Coastal Tanzania" (2016). Sustainability and Social Justice. 39.
https://commons.clarku.edu/idce_masters_papers/39
