3.2. Health Shocks

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.

This chunk explains that external variables are factors beyond an individual's control that can impact their vulnerability. These can include natural disasters or health epidemics. The extent of one’s exposure to these shocks is determined by various factors, including individual defenselessness and social positioning such as being an outcast or having limited social networks.

Imagine living in a community where a severe flood occurs. If you have a strong network of friends and resources, you may receive help and better weather the situation compared to someone who feels isolated or has less support.

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. 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.

This chunk discusses three perspectives through which we can understand exposure to health shocks. The human ecological perspective focuses on how population dynamics and environmental management affect vulnerability. The entitlement theory emphasizes how people's control over resources impacts their economic security. Finally, the political-economic approach examines how inequalities in power and resources contribute to vulnerability.

Consider a farmer in a densely populated area where water is scarce. Their ability to manage water resources is limited by community dynamics and economic inequalities, making them more vulnerable to health shocks like droughts compared to farmers in a well-managed cooperative.

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 approaches that define and quoted the vulnerability and which was now very regularly used in disaster risk and other risk management.

This chunk introduces the sustainable livelihood framework, which was developed by Robert Chambers and Conway in 1992. This framework emphasizes that vulnerability should be understood in the context of people's livelihoods rather than solely from a disaster perspective. It provides a means of connecting vulnerability to the ability to sustain livelihoods amidst challenges.

Imagine a community that relies on fishing. If a natural disaster strikes and affects their fishing grounds, this framework helps us understand how their vulnerability is connected to their ability to adapt and sustain their livelihood, perhaps by finding new fishing methods or diversifying their sources of income.

So, vulnerability context is defined with 3 characteristics that people are at vulnerable because shock, trends, and seasonality.

This chunk outlines three key characteristics that define a vulnerability context: shocks (sudden events like natural disasters), trends (long-term changes such as economic decline), and seasonality (cyclical changes like employment in agriculture). Understanding these factors is crucial for assessing how individuals or communities might respond to and cope with vulnerabilities.

For instance, consider agricultural workers who face seasonal unemployment. During the off-season, they may struggle financially, making them vulnerable to health issues or food insecurity. Understanding these cycles helps to create better support systems during lean times.

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 chunk categorizes various types of shocks that can increase vulnerability. These include natural shocks (like floods), health shocks (epidemics), economic shocks (financial crises), and social shocks (violence and civil unrest). Each of these can drastically affect people’s lives and their ability to cope with challenges.

Imagine a family living in a war-torn area. Their vulnerability increases due to violence, economic instability, and health crises that arise from living in such conditions. Each shock compounds their difficulties, making recovery and coping much harder.

So, now they both are interlinked, vulnerability, and capital. And also capital define that how and what extent they are vulnerable to particular shock. 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 explains the concept of livelihood assets, which are categorized into five capitals: human (skills and education), social (networks and relationships), physical (infrastructure and objects), financial (cash and savings), and natural (natural resources). Understanding these capitals helps to assess the extent of vulnerability individuals may face based on their available resources.

For example, a person with strong social capital (good relationships and support networks) might find jobs more easily during economic downturns compared to someone lacking such connections. Their resources help them be resilient against financial shocks.

--