An assessment of the influence of a country's level of empowerment on its resilience to maintain health and well-being after the impact of a natural disaster

Wright-Brown, Tanisha (2020) An assessment of the influence of a country's level of empowerment on its resilience to maintain health and well-being after the impact of a natural disaster. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

Natural disasters are happening more frequently and more intensely around the world, potentially exacerbated by climate change. There is an increasing concern to strengthen resilience in countries from the impact of these disasters. This thesis assessed the influence of empowerment on resilience using a quantitative approach, including descriptive, interrupted time series and ordinary least square regression analyses. Using data from 177 countries spanning over 16 years from 2000 to 2015, our results demonstrated that countries with a higher level of freedom in terms of political rights or civil liberties have greater resilience to maintain health and well-being after the impact of a natural disaster and that these countries have a higher GDP, lower infant mortality, longer life expectancy, and low corruption. These results provide further insights into the factors that influence resilience and suggest that empowerment may be used as a tool for disaster resilience and better health outcomes.

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