ABSTRACT

Managed retreat raises important questions of both risk and responsibility. These include what risks are addressed and/or exacerbated through retreat and whether retreat might function as a byword for state withdrawal and the individualisation of responsibility. In response, the aim of this paper is to understand the implications of shifts in the perceived balance of responsibilities between the state and private actors for managing the risks and vulnerabilities associated with managed retreat. The paper draws upon an analysis of two household relocation schemes which took place in County Galway, Ireland in 1995 and 2009. This analysis highlights a range of factors which contribute to vulnerability and risk and which are traced to underlying conflicts regarding responsibility. These factors both put people at risk initially, leading to demands for relocation, and create new risks through a failure to effectively manage the relocation process. It is argued that the approach to relocation in Ireland reflects a neoliberal approach that responds to political and financial pressures upon the state and temporarily resolves some immediate risks for property owners but fails to address the underlying drivers of risk. The aggregate effects of such shifting responsibilities are to amplify existing and produce new vulnerabilities for communities impacted by flooding.

摘要

撤退管理提出了有关风险和责任的重要问题。这些包括通过撤退来应对和/或加剧哪些风险，以及撤退是否可以作为国家撤军和责任个性化的代名词。作为回应，本文的目的是了解在国家和私人行为者之间感知到的责任平衡转变对管理与撤退相关的风险和脆弱性的影响。本文基于对1995年和2009年在爱尔兰戈尔韦郡实施的两个家庭搬迁计划的分析。该分析重点介绍了一系列导致脆弱性和风险的因素，这些因素可追溯到责任方面的潜在冲突。这些因素都使人们最初处于危险之中，导致对搬迁的需求，并由于无法有效管理搬迁流程而造成新的风险。有人认为，爱尔兰的搬迁方法反映了新自由主义的方法，该方法可以应对国家的政治和财政压力，并暂时解决财产所有者面临的一些直接风险，但无法解决潜在的风险驱动因素。这种责任转移的总体效果是扩大现有的并为受洪水影响的社区产生新的漏洞。有人认为，爱尔兰的搬迁方法反映了新自由主义的方法，该方法可以应对国家的政治和财政压力，并暂时解决财产所有者面临的一些直接风险，但无法解决潜在的风险驱动因素。这种责任转移的总体效果是扩大现有的并为受洪水影响的社区产生新的漏洞。有人认为，爱尔兰的搬迁方法反映了新自由主义的方法，该方法可以应对国家的政治和财政压力，并暂时解决财产所有者面临的一些直接风险，但无法解决潜在的风险驱动因素。这种责任转移的总体效果是扩大现有的并为受洪水影响的社区产生新的漏洞。