Replication Data for: Seawalls or Social Recovery? The role of policy networks and design in disaster recovery

This mixed-methods study examines the case of 30 advisory committees across 25 municipalities in Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures in northeast Japan after the 3/11 triple disasters. Drawing on synthetic control experiments, social network analysis, and case studies, we test whether the design of these committees’ policies or the traits of these committee networks improved the recovery trajectories of municipalities. We find that communities highly connected to this network of advisory committees saw better economic recovery than expected, especially when researchers, hyper-connected individuals, or plans for community centers were involved. Our results bring with them a number of concrete policy recommendations for disaster managers, local residents, and decision makers.本混合方法研究聚焦日本东北部宫城县与岩手县25个市町村下辖的30个咨询委员会，针对2011年3·11三重灾害（3/11 triple disasters）后的场景展开分析。本研究依托合成控制实验（synthetic control experiments）、社会网络分析（social network analysis）与案例研究（case studies）三种研究方法，检验两类因素是否改善了对应市町村的灾后复苏轨迹：一是咨询委员会的政策设计，二是其委员会网络的结构特征。研究发现，与该咨询委员会网络连接紧密的社区，其经济复苏表现优于预期；尤其当研究人员、高连接度个体（hyper-connected individuals）或是社区中心建设计划参与其中时，该正向效应更为显著。本研究结果可为灾害管理者、本地居民与决策者提供多项切实可行的政策建议。