The Cultural and Political Economy of Recovery : Social Learning in a Post-Disaster Environment

Beyond The Physical Destruction Wrought By Hurricane Katrina On New Orleans And The Gulf Coast Came The Destruction Of Social Systems That Underpinned Normal Life. In The Aftermath Of The Hurricane Different Communities Demonstrated Varying Success In Rebuilding Those Systems. In This Work, Chamlee-wright (economics, Beloit College) Presents The Results Of Research Into This Variability Of Resilience That Approached The Issue From The Perspectives Of Political Economy, Entrepreneurial Response, And Civil Society. She Proposes The Concepts Of Social Learning--the Processes By Which Societies Achieve Complex Social Coordination That Goes Beyond The Possibilities Of Intentional Design--and Cultural Economy--investigation Into Social Learning Within Non-priced Contexts--in Order To Explore The Topic, And Then Presents Case Studies Examining The Role Of Socially Embedded Resources Such As Collective Narratives, Social Networks, Generalized Norms, And Cultural Tools In The Recovery Processes Of Various Communities In And Around New Orleans. She Concludes With A Discussion Of The Interaction Of Public Policy And Programs With The Potential Of Civil Society To Foster Recovery. Understanding The Sources Of Resilience -- The Nature And Causes Of Social Order As Seen Through Post-disaster Recovery -- Qualitative Methods And The Pursuit Of Economic Understanding -- Collective Action In The Wake Of Disaster : Social Capital Rebuilding Strategies Of Early Returnees -- Social Capital, Community Narratives, And Recovery Within A Vietnamese-american Neighborhood -- Collective Narratives And Entrepreneurial Discovery In St. Bernard Parish -- Negotiating Structure And Agency In The Ninth Ward : Sense Of Place And Divine Purpose In Post-disaster Recovery -- The Deleterious Effects Of Signal Noise In Post-disaster Recovery -- Expectations Anchoring And The Civil Society Vacuum : Lessons For Public Policy -- Concluding Remarks -- Demographic Summaries Of Research Subjects In Neighborhoods Of Interest -- Sample Interview Guide -- Primary And Secondary Theme Codes. Emily Chamlee-wright. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.