Politics of Practical and Academic Knowledge: A Q-Method Analysis of Gauging Community Disaster Resilience

This research analysed strong opinions, held by emergency management practitioners and researchers, about developing a regional framework of community resilience indicators. A group of practitioners and another group, of researchers, were planning an International Centre of Excellence, focused on community disaster resilience in Wellington, New Zealand. Five participants from each of the researcher and practitioner groups volunteered to better identify opinion factors among these groups, using Q-methodology. One perspective supporting complicated analysis to inform strategic decisions was particular to the researcher group. Practitioners shared an opposition to insular, top-down decision making. Both groups perceived a need to evaluate opportunities for improving post-disaster outcomes. These perspectives helped develop the International Centre of Excellence and inform comparable approaches to community disaster resilience.