title: The evolving local social contract for managing climate and disaster risk in Vietnam.
abstract: How do disasters shape local government legitimacy in relation to managing climate- and disaster-related risks? This paper looks at how local authorities in Central Vietnam perceive their social contract for risk reduction, including the partial merging of responsibilities for disaster risk management with new plans for and investments in climate change adaptation and broader socioeconomic development. The findings indicate that extreme floods and storms constitute critical junctures that stimulate genuine institutional change. Local officials are proud of their strengthened role in disaster response and they are eager to boost investment in infrastructure. They have struggled to reinforce their legitimacy among their constituents, but given the shifting roles of the state, private sector, and civil society, and the undiminished emphasis on high-risk development models, their responsibilities for responding to emerging climate change scenarios are increasingly nebulous. The past basis for legitimacy is no longer valid, but tomorrow's social contract is not yet defined.
authors.affiliation: Senior Researcher, Natural Resources and Development, at the Danish Institute for International Studies, Denmark.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Christoplos
authors.affiliation: Senior Researcher at the Centre for Climate Change Study in Central Vietnam, Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Le Duc
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Ngoan
authors.affiliation: Senior Researcher and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Le Thi Hoa
authors.initials: LTH
authors.lastname: Sen
authors.affiliation: Lecturer at the Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Quang Binh University, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Nguyen Thi Thanh
authors.initials: NTT
authors.lastname: Huong
authors.affiliation: Doctoral Fellow, Natural Resources and Development, at the Danish Institute for International Studies, Denmark.
authors.forename: Lily Salloum
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Lindegaard
mesh_terms: D057231:Climate Change; D004190:Disasters; D006801:Humans; D009111:Local Government; D012308:Risk Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D012941:Social Responsibility; D014744:Vietnam
keywords: disaster risk reduction; extreme climate events; local government; social contract