Institutional vulnerability as a key risk driver

Following a series of catastrophic events (floods, wildfires etc.) in Greece over the last few years (2023-2024), it has become clear that institutional issues such as legislation, accountability, political decisions, and participation have been the driving forces behind the vulnerability of communities to climate change-related hazards. An institutional vulnerability framework is used as a basis to analyse these institutional issues and their relationship to adverse outcomes. Institutional vulnerability refers to weaknesses in institutions that affect our capacities to resist, cope with and recover from the impacts of natural hazards. Efforts to reduce negative consequences and loss of natural hazards should include recognising and addressing these vulnerabilities as well as their impact on our physical robustness and coping capacities.  The framework is based on four pillars: socio-cultural, socio-political, legislative and regulatory, and fiscal economic. The socio-cultural pillar includes the level of community participation, the use of traditional methods of dealing with natural hazards as well as early warning systems that include vulnerable groups. The socio-political pillar is associated with accountability issues regarding the management of natural hazards and the management of critical infrastructure. The legislative and economic pillar includes European and national legislation related to accountabilities, land use planning, adaptation and risk transfer mechanisms. Finally, the fiscal economic pillar has to do with the national budget allocation and the financing of public bodies.

The results of this qualitative analysis show the link between individual vulnerability dimensions (physical, social, economic, environmental, etc.) and institutional issues, as well as the importance of considering institutional vulnerability as an “umbrella dimension” in vulnerability analysis. The study lays the foundation for further research to develop methodologies for assessing institutional vulnerability, but also to examine more closely the interaction between institutional issues and other dimensions of vulnerability.