4.6 Article

Absorptive capacity facilitates adaptation to novel environmental disasters

Journal

PLOS ONE
Volume 16, Issue 11, Pages -

Publisher

PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259368

Keywords

-

Funding

  1. NSF CAREER Award
  2. National Academies Gulf Research Program

Ask authors/readers for more resources

The study found that in new disasters, the diversity of individual knowledge, community external orientation, and internal cohesion can promote resource utilization. These characteristics help individuals and communities absorb information and knowledge, and devise adaptation strategies.
Absorptive capacity-the ability to learn and apply external knowledge and information to acquire material resources-is an essential but overlooked driver in community adaptation to new and unprecedented disasters. We analyzed data from a representative random sample of 603 individuals from 25 coastal communities in Louisiana affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. We used simultaneous equation models to assess the relationship between absorptive capacity and resource acquisition for affected individuals after the disaster. Results show that the diversity of individuals' prior knowledge coupled with the community's external orientation and internal cohesion facilitate resource use. They go beyond simply providing resources and demonstrate individual and community features necessary for absorbing information and knowledge and help devise adaptation strategies to address the dynamics of changing economic, social, and political environment after the disaster.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.6
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available