International Handbook of Disaster Research

​This handbook is a comprehensive source of information, analysis and directions in disaster studies. It goes beyond the oft-explored issues of management and science related to the topic and explores policies, governance, law and decision-making combined with the processes of implementation and enforcement, all the while integrating the latest science and technology updates related to the topic, such as artificial intelligence and early warning systems. It brings together studies which relate to sociology, politics and institutional economics, which work under the impact of resource availability, issues of leadership and international laws.
Disasters are trans-boundary and disaster studies are trans-disciplinary. It is this aspect which would form the fulcrum of contributions and present a new, refreshing and innovative design for the handbook. The transformatory pedagogy which started with the Hyogo Framework for action 2005-2015 and The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 outlines seven clear targets and four priorities for action to prevent new and reduce existing disaster risks. The four priority areas around which the book would revolve are (i) Understanding disaster risk; (ii) Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk; (iii) Investing in disaster reduction for resilience and; (iv) Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response, and to ＂Build Back Better＂ in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.

​Professor Amita Singh is the Chairperson of the Special Centre for Disaster Research (SCDR) at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India. Professor Singh is also affiliated to the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance at the same university. She was previously teaching Urban and Environmental Governance’ in the Department of Political Science at the University of Delhi and Department of Public Administration at Kamala Nehru College (University of Delhi). She is also the Secretary General of the South Asian network organization NAPSIPAG (The Network of Asia Pacific Schools and Institutes of Public Administration and Governance). While political theory and public administration is her specialized field, she has further advanced her research into environmental policy and administrative reforms specifically into an ecological approach to reforms. This attempts to study an integrated implementation of land, forests, communities and water management programmes within administrative reforms. She is presently involved into a study of administrative innovations and best practices including e-governance measures required to accelerate pro-poor governance. She is a non-compromising animal and environmental activist heading the People’s Alliance for Animal Rights and Ecological Ethics, a registered NGO to link all dispersed struggles of campaigners for animal rights and planetary justice.Professor Singh has several books to her credit published by international publishers. She has published 3 books with Springer and 2 with Palgrave Macmillan. She is the series editor of the Palgrave series on Disaster Research. She is also a section editor in an ongoing Springer Handbook on Governance. She has ongoing projects with Government of India; Public Administration Institutions of seven countries in the Asia-Pacific; Government Innovators Network located at The Ash Institute of Democratic Governance, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University; The National Legal Services Authority of India (NALSA); University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada; Florida State Governance Group, USA. She is a recipient of many awards and honors such as Bangladesh Nawab Bhadur Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury National Award in the field of women’s empowerment (2014) and International Lifetime Achievement Award, at the International Congress of Women.