Description
University Press of America Natural Disasters as a Catalyst for Social Capital A Study of the 500-Year Flood in Cedar Rapids Iowa 2015 Edition by Kevin F. Adler
Natural Disasters as a Catalyst for Social Capital examines the vastly under-explored link between natural disasters and social capital in regards to the unprecedented June 2008 flood in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In-depth qualitative interviews with flood victims and key informants in Cedar Rapids reveal that a resident's perception of social capital after a natural disaster is shaped by their vulnerabilities and social mobility, which vary substantially and need to be understood contextually. This book, in highlighting the enormous impact of one disaster in a mid-sized Midwestern city, offers a framework for a new theory for why social capital shifts in societies from one generation to another: the transformative impact of shared traumas. Table of contents :- AcknowledgmentsPART IChapter 1: IntroductionWhy Study Disasters? Why Study Social Capital?Intersecting Two Research Canons The Cedar Rapids Flood of 2008OverviewChapter 2: Natural DisastersWhat Is a Natural Disaster?Chapter 3: Social CapitalWhat Is Social Capital?The Structural and Cultural AspectsIs it a Private or Public Good?Chapter 4: An AnalogySocial Capital as the CommonsPART IIChapter 5: The FloodA Perfect StormA Perfect Response?An Imperfect RecoveryThe Community RespondsChapter 6: The Community Social Capital Before the FloodSocial Capital After the FloodFour Outlooks, Two ThemesStrengthened Community: We Are All in the Same Boat TogetherStrengthened Community: Reevaluations Will Lead to Social ProgressWeakened Community: Neighborhoods Were DecimatedWeakened Community: New Rifts EmergedPART IIIChapter 7: Two Cities?Chapter 8: One Framework Background CharacteristicsStructural Aspects of Social CapitalCultural Aspects of Social CapitalThe Current, Contextually-Specific SituationChapter 9: Conclusion Appendix I: Research DesignAppendix II: MapsReferences