Pauline Eadie

I am an Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham, and Deputy Director of the Institute of Asia Pacific Studies (IAPS) at the University of Nottingham. I have a PhD in International Relations from Nottingham Trent University.

I am currently associated with the International Relations, Security and International History Research Group.

I am currently working on a project investigating the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda, which hit the Visayas region of the Philippines in November 2013. The latest available official figures show that 6,293 individuals were reported dead, 1,061 missing and 28,689 are injured, vast areas of agricultural land has been devastated and whole towns have been destroyed. The typhoon affected 591 municipalities and the total damage is estimated at US$904,680,000. The total number of people affected by this disaster in terms of their livelihood, environmental and food security is approximately 16 million.

This project monitors the effectiveness of the Typhoon Yolanda relief efforts in the Philippines in relation to good governance and building sustainable routes out of poverty. This project focuses on urban risk, vulnerability and resilience in the aftermath of Yolanda. Urban slum dwellers are extremely vulnerable to natural disasters. The key themes of the project are risk, vulnerability, resilience and shocks in relation to environmental disaster and pathways in and out of poverty. The urban poor are amongst the most at risk and yet least able to resurrect themselves after disasters. Vulnerability and risk are conditions that are heightened by poverty. Resilience especially is a complex variable that requires both social and material examination. Vulnerability and risk inform why and how poor people are exposed to natural disasters whilst resilience informs how they coped and how coping strategies can be supported and risk lessened. The Philippines is one of the most environmentally vulnerable countries in the world. It is regularly hit by typhoons.

Vulnerability and risk are conditions that are heightened by poverty. Vulnerability and risk inform why and how poor people are exposed to natural disasters whilst resilience informs how they coped and how coping strategies can be supported and risk lessened. This project will test the extent to which the notion of 'Building Back Better' is credible.

The project will assess the political economy of domestic public spending and international and transnational relief funding as it relates to post-disaster reconstruction and sustainable poverty alleviation. This relates to effective governance and physical and social resilience.

The project aims to identify the extent to which resource allocation can go beyond disaster 'relief' and build sustainable livelihoods beyond the immediate aftermath of the disaster. It will assess the extent to which disaster relief funding is related to need and what factors dictate the efficient allocation of funds over the immediate and medium term. It will assess whether communities have actually been built back better and if not then why not. The project will also engage with the theoretical framework of human security e.g. in relation to food, health, environmental, personal, and community security but also individual and community resilience and agency.

This project has been awarded an ESRC/DFID Joint Fund Poverty Alleviation grant (ES/M008932/1, £347,000.00). Dr. Pauline Eadie is Primary Investigator and Dr. May Tan-Mullins (University of Nottingham, Ningbo) and Dr. Maria Ela Atienza (University of the Philippines Di