Stakeholder participation in disaster risk management: The case of provincial disaster risk reduction plan (IRAP) of İstanbul

Abstract

Stakeholder Participation (SP) in the preparation phase of the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) process plays a crucial role in enhancing societal resilience to disasters. However studies addressing the significance of stakeholder participation in the early stages of DRM remain relatively limited in the literature. This research examines SP within the DRM process, taking the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Plan (IRAP) of Istanbul as a case study. The primary objective of the study is to analyze SP during the preparation phase of IRAP, focusing on both processes and criteria, and to identify successful SP criteria and models in the preparatory phase of DRM. In this context, interviews were conducted with 14 public personnel from 10 institutions involved in the preparation process of IRAP. Through content analysis using the MAXQDA software, six themes of SP and 25 success criteria were identified. The research findings are presented under the following headings: i) identification and selection of stakeholders, ii) Key Stakeholders (KS), iii) effective Participation Tools (PT), iv) effectiveness of workshops, v) functionality of Action Plans (AP), and vi) factors hindering SP. The key results of the study highlight the following: 1- properly informing target stakeholders, 2- ensuring the participation of personnel with Institutional Memory (IM), 3- securing active involvement of high-level and local administrators, 4- promoting a culture of action planning among Stakeholder Institutions (SI) and their employees, and 5facilitating open disaster data sharing among stakeholders. In light of these findings, a model for achieving effective SP in DRM has been developed.