Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Kwansei Gakuin University, Nishinomiya, Japan.
Environ Manage. 2018 Sep;62(3):474-488. doi: 10.1007/s00267-018-1071-0. Epub 2018 Jun 12.
This study deals with the roles of pioneers or early adopters in a rainwater harvesting technology dissemination process in arsenic and water salinity affected communities in coastal Bangladesh. The dissemination of such innovative technologies has long been advocated for making disaster resilient communities, but how to disseminate these innovations has rarely been addressed, except heuristic studies limited to analyzing the cognitive factors of preparedness. We argue that identifying and characterizing pioneer adopters is critical to promote innovative disaster preventive technologies. Because pioneers take the risk to adopt at a time when only limited information of the innovation is available, and, based on their firsthand experience, other members can make prudent adoption decisions. By using the social network threshold model, we show that just as there are adopters at the macro or regional level, there are adopters at the micro or local level, and they have the most critical roles, as catalysts to disseminate disaster preventive technologies among the population. We also argue that cosmopolitaness and level of education characterize the pioneers better, rather than their income, risk awareness, and other personal features. Some policy options related to the findings are also discussed.
本研究探讨了在孟加拉国沿海受砷和水盐度影响的社区中，雨水收集技术传播过程中的先驱者或早期采用者的作用。长期以来，人们一直主张传播此类创新技术，以使社区具有抗灾能力，但除了仅限于分析准备认知因素的启发式研究外，很少有人探讨如何传播这些创新技术。我们认为，确定和描述先驱采用者对于推广创新的防灾技术至关重要。因为先驱者在创新的可用信息有限的情况下冒险采用，并且根据他们的第一手经验，其他成员可以做出谨慎的采用决策。通过使用社会网络阈值模型，我们表明，就像在宏观或区域层面上有采用者一样，在微观或地方层面上也有采用者，他们扮演着最关键的角色，是在人群中传播防灾技术的催化剂。我们还认为，世界主义和教育程度比收入、风险意识和其他个人特征更能体现先驱者的特点。还讨论了一些与研究结果相关的政策选择。
