1.2. Exposure Context from Different Dimensions

On the other hand, we have external one which we cannot less control, is an exogenous variable. What are they? External variables is considered in this double structure of vulnerability as exposure. So, exposure to what, some shock or some events like it depends on what kind of shocks, is it natural phenomena or some epidemics or not merely a kind of special exposure but how defenseless like I am for that one.

In this chunk, we define external variables as factors outside of our control that impact our vulnerability. 'Exogenous' means these variables come from outside a system and cannot be influenced easily by individuals or communities. The text implies that exposure relates to various types of shocks—such as natural disasters, pandemics, or other distressing events—and highlights that our level of vulnerability depends on how defenseless we are against these shocks.

Think of a community living near a river that occasionally floods. The river's flooding is an exogenous variable—a natural phenomenon they cannot control. If the residents have built sturdy houses (defense against the flood), they are less vulnerable. Conversely, if they live in poorly constructed huts on the riverbank, they are more exposed to the risks of flooding.

So, double structure of vulnerability, two components; one is the exposure one and this exposure one according to Bohle that we can understand this exposure context from 3 different dimensions. One is human ecological perspective, population dynamics, capacity to manage the environment, population growth, and how human ecology is looking at population growth and the capacity to manage the environment.

This chunk explains the double structure of vulnerability, emphasizing two components, primarily exposure. Bohle's framework suggests analyzing exposure through three lenses: human ecological perspectives, which include factors like population dynamics and environmental management. Understanding how a growing population interacts with its environment can clarify the intricacies of vulnerability within different contexts.

Imagine a growing city that expands into a forested area, leading to increased pollution and habitat loss. As the population grows, the city must adapt its management of natural resources to mitigate risks such as flooding or air quality issues. The dynamics between the people and their environment showcase how vulnerability can vary based on ecological management.

And also the entitlement theory, the capacity theory and that the people have for control and to get to secure the means of their economic needs. And also the political-economic approach like the question of inequalities or disparities of assets, the power structures. So, these issues, these approaches should be considered when we are talking about exposure.

This section discusses various theories essential for understanding exposure. The entitlement theory posits that people's access to resources determines their vulnerability. Capacity theory emphasizes the control individuals have over resources necessary for fulfilling their economic needs. Moreover, the political-economic approach highlights how inequalities in asset distribution and power structures contribute to vulnerability.

Consider farmers in a developing region facing drought. Those who have water access (entitlement theory) can mitigate damage, while those without it suffer significant losses. Economic capacity determines their ability to invest in irrigation systems, reducing future risks. If wealth is concentrated in a few hands (political-economic approach), the vast majority remain vulnerable and unable to protect their livelihoods.

Well to understand people's coping, we can also borrow the ideas from crisis and conflict kind of studies, who have the access to assets and resources and how it matter of conflict between individuals and groups or maybe sometimes action theory approaches, how people act, react frequently as a result of social-economic and governmental constraints and model access to assets like a mitigation of vulnerability through access.

This chunk emphasizes the importance of understanding how individuals cope with vulnerability. It introduces ideas from conflict studies, focusing on access to resources and how this access can create tensions between people or groups. Additionally, action theory looks at how social, economic, and governmental constraints influence individuals' choices and coping strategies regarding vulnerability.

In a community affected by civil war, access to food and medical supplies may be limited or controlled by certain groups. This lack of access can lead to conflicts over resources. For instance, if one group monopolizes aid distribution, it exacerbates the vulnerabilities of those without resources, forcing them to take desperate actions to secure basic needs.

There is another more prominent and very popular conceptual idea of vulnerability is the sustainable livelihood framework. It is not really on vulnerability, but they are one of the pioneering approach that define and quoted the vulnerability and which was now very regularly used in disaster risk and other risk management. So, this idea came originally developed by famous person Robert Chambers and Conway in 1992, quite long back.

The sustainable livelihood framework is introduced as a significant approach to understanding vulnerability. While it doesn't focus solely on vulnerability, it has been pivotal in defining and assessing it within the context of disaster risk management. Developed by Robert Chambers and Conway in 1992, this framework emphasizes the importance of understanding livelihoods in assessing vulnerability.

Imagine a community reliant on agriculture that experiences a drought. Using the sustainable livelihood framework, we analyze how the community can maintain its livelihoods despite the disaster. This might involve diversifying crops, improving irrigation methods, or establishing community support systems to ensure that people can recover from shocks.

When they are talking about vulnerability, it did not came from, did not come from the disaster perspective, but they are talking defining poor people and their livelihood in case of development and people at the center of their model. People should be put into the center of the development and vulnerability is considered as a kind of shock or a kind of trend or seasonality that influence the capacity of the people to maintain their livelihood.

This chunk clarifies that discussions of vulnerability focus on poor individuals and their livelihoods rather than just disaster events. The sustainable livelihood framework centers people and emphasizes how various shocks, trends, or seasonal changes impact their ability to sustain their livelihoods. This perspective shifts the focus from events to the capacities and conditions affecting people's lives.

For instance, a farmer may face vulnerability not only from a flood but also from fluctuating market prices for crops or seasonal changes that affect planting and harvesting. Understanding vulnerability in this comprehensive way helps develop support systems to assist farmers in maintaining their livelihoods amidst those variations.

So, according to this model, people are actually operating, you know they are working in a context of vulnerability. What is the context of vulnerability? So, vulnerability context is defined with 3 characteristics that people are at vulnerable because shock, trends, and seasonality.

In this section, 'vulnerability context' is defined as the environment in which individuals operate and where their vulnerabilities manifest. The context is characterized by three main factors: shocks (sudden and unexpected events), trends (gradual changes), and seasonality (cyclical changes). Together, these factors shape the experiences of vulnerability and influence how individuals cope.

Envision a small fishing village. The fishermen face vulnerability due to shocks like storm events (sudden), trends like decreasing fish populations (gradual), and seasonality, where certain seasons yield better catches than others. Understanding that they are operating within this context helps in devising strategies that can enhance resilience.

So what are the shocks? One is the natural shocks like flood, drought, and cyclone. And health shocks like epidemic like cholera or even dengue let us say, or economic shocks like some financial recessions or maybe death in the family for a household or maybe violence like civil war in case of Syria or in many other countries in case of Sri Lanka when they were in civil war or in case of Bosnia.

This portion lists various types of shocks that impact vulnerability. Natural shocks include events like floods, droughts, and cyclones. Health shocks refer to epidemics, while economic shocks can arise from financial crises or personal losses, such as a family death. Political violence, such as civil wars, is also categorized as a shock that deeply influences individuals' lives and increases their vulnerability.

Consider the impact of a hurricane on a coastal community. The natural shock of the hurricane can lead to flooding and loss of property. Additionally, a health shock like COVID-19 can hinder recovery efforts, as families may face illness or lose jobs. Such interconnected shocks exemplify how various vulnerabilities are exacerbated by multiple types of pressures.

Another one is the seasonality and seasonal shift in price like the price of the crops of the food for the agricultural labor or the productions because of production is low or high, because of climate change maybe the production is not so high this year.

This section delves into seasonality and how changes throughout the year can impact vulnerabilities. Seasonal shifts can affect prices of crops and food availability due to variations in production levels influenced by factors like climate change. These changes can lead to increased difficulties for agricultural laborers who depend on stable income and resources throughout the year.

Imagine a farmer who grows coffee. In good years, the price of coffee is high, allowing the farmer to thrive. However, if droughts reduce coffee production in subsequent years, the farmer may struggle due to lower yields and reduced income, illustrating the vulnerability caused by seasonal changes.

This vulnerability context actually, this is the poor people and is affecting their household capacity or their own individual capacity. So, they have actually different kind of capitals or capacities. One is a human capital, social capital, financial capital and physical capital.

This chunk discusses how vulnerability impacts impoverished individuals, emphasizing that they possess various types of capitals or assets. These include human capital (skills, education), social capital (networks, relationships), financial capital (wealth, money), and physical capital (property, infrastructure). Each capital type plays a role in their vulnerability and capacity to cope with shocks.

Take a low-income family who has strong community ties (social capital), reasonable education (human capital), but limited financial resources (financial capital). When faced with a sudden expense, such as a medical emergency, their social networks may help out, allowing them to cope despite their financial vulnerabilities.

So, how one look into these livelihood assets or capitals? Livelihood assets we say that there are 5 capitals; human capital, social capital, physical capital, financial capital, and natural capital.

This chunk details the five livelihood assets or capitals that people utilize to navigate their circumstances. These categories—human, social, physical, financial, and natural capitals—illustrate the different resources available to individuals that can mitigate vulnerability and strengthen their livelihoods.

For instance, a local artisan may rely on human capital (skills and training), social capital (connections with customers), financial capital (money to buy materials), physical capital (tools for crafting), and natural capital (access to local resources). Each capital type contributes to their ability to sustain their business and navigate market fluctuations.

And human capital; knowledge and skill like education or good health I am capable person, nutrition I am getting enough food, nutritious food, ability to labor I can work, I can give my labor, capacity to adapt, in any situation, I can adapt culturally.

Here, the focus is on human capital, which refers to the skills, knowledge, education, and health that individuals possess. These factors enhance a person's employability, adaptability, and overall ability to contribute economically while facing challenges. Good health and proper nutrition significantly affect a person's effectiveness and resilience in the face of adversity.

Consider a teacher with a strong educational background (knowledge capital) and healthy living. This teacher can continue to work effectively even during challenging times, such as a community crisis, while adapting teaching methods to meet students’ needs—demonstrating how human capital supports resilience and recovery.

And social capital, of course my network, network works very well, my human networks, connections with each other or membership in a group, formal and informal. Like I can go to some club or maybe in a puja or in so any kind of formal and informal relationship defines my social capital.

This text covers social capital, which relates to the quality and strength of relationships within a community. Strong social networks, trust, and mutual support can significantly influence an individual’s capacity to cope with vulnerabilities. Being part of networks helps individuals access resources and assistance during tough times.

Think of a neighborhood where residents share resources, like a tool library or support during family illnesses. This reciprocal support enhances collective resilience, as social capital allows them to face challenges together, assisting one another when facing economic hardships or personal crises.

If I am outcasted, I am not included in any particular group then I feel that I am isolated; I have less capacity to absorb the shocks or absorb the threat. And trust and mutual support, during emergency situations or any situations, we need to cooperate with each other and we need to trust each other because trust minimize the uncertainty so trust and mutual support between individuals in a group is very important and this is one of the social capital.

This section emphasizes the importance of trust and cooperation in social networks, particularly in emergency situations. If individuals feel isolated or marginalized, their ability to cope with shocks diminishes. Trust enables people to share resources and support each other, creating a buffer against vulnerabilities.

Imagine a community hit by a natural disaster where neighbors check on each other and share food, clothing, and shelter. In this environment of trust and mutual support, individuals can recover more quickly than if they were isolated—highlighting how critical social capital is in overcoming vulnerabilities.

Some people whether the people have open access to get all the opportunities to maintain their livelihood or not. In case of very hierarchical societies, the low caste people or low-class people are restricted. Generally, their achievements are not achieved by society, so they are not given enough opportunity socially to compete with other.

This chunk describes barriers individuals face in accessing opportunities that support their livelihoods. In hierarchical societies, lower-caste or lower-class individuals often experience systemic restrictions that limit their ability to improve their social and economic positions. These barriers enhance vulnerability by restricting access to resources and opportunities.

In many societies, a student from a lower socioeconomic background may struggle to access quality education due to financial, geographic, or caste-related limitations. Despite their potential, these systemic barriers can profoundly affect their future opportunities, illustrating how social structures contribute to ongoing vulnerability.

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