The problem of doing more: success and paradoxes in scaling up informal initiatives for disaster risk reduction and climate action

• Published in: Revue canadienne d'études du développement Vol. 43; no. 3; pp. 339 - 369
• Main Authors: Lizarralde, Gonzalo, Bornstein, Lisa, Herazo, Benjamin, Burdiles, Roberto, Araneda, Claudio, Páez Martínez, Holmes, Diaz, Julia Helena, Fauveaud, Gabriel, Olivera, Andrés, Gonzalez, Gonzalo, López, Oswaldo, López, Adriana, Dhar, Tapan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 03-07-2022; Canadian Association for the Study of International Development
• Subjects: Climate; Climate action; Climate change; Development studies; Disaster management; Disaster risk; Emergency preparedness; Global warming; informality; Leadership; Political leadership; Risk reduction; scaling up; Transferability; Latin America
• ISSN: 0225-5189; 2158-9100
• DOI: 10.1080/02255189.2021.2019574

Development studies highlight the importance of scaling good practices and their replicability and transferability to face global warming. But what happens when practices originate in informal urban contexts? Should they be replicated, amplified and formalized? We explore the opportunities and contradictions that emerge in scaling disaster risk reduction in informal settings. For four years, we documented 24 local initiatives and the work of leaders in Latin America. Results show that impact depends on intermediaries, trust, dialogue and a delicate balance between conflicting objectives and different levels of involvement by externals. To succeed, initiatives must address "the problem of doing more."