Includes bibliographical references and index.

Theorizing vulnerability in a globalized world : a political ecological perspective / Anthony Oliver-Smith -- The historical geography of disaster : 'vulnerability' and 'local knowledge' in western discourse / Greg Bankoff -- The need for rethinking the concepts of vulnerability and risk from a holistic perspective : a necessary review and criticism for effective risk management / Omar D. Cardona -- Complexity and diversity : unlocking social domains of disaster response / Dorothea Hilhorst -- The Lower Lempa River Valley, El Salvador : risk reduction and development project / Allan Lavall -- El Niäno events, forecasts and decision-making / Roger S. Pulwarty, Kenneth Broad and Timothy Finan -- Vulnerable regions versus vulnerable people : an Ethiopian case study / Linda Stephen -- From vulnerability to empowerment / Annelies Heijmans -- Progress in analysis of social vulnerability and capacity / Ian Davis -- Vulnerability reduction : a task for the vulnerable people themselves / Zenaida Delica-Willison and Robin Willison -- Macro-economic concepts of vulnerability : dynamics, complexity and public policy / Charlotte Benson -- Gendering vulnerability analysis : towards a more nuanced approach / Maureen Fordham -- Assessment of capability and vulnerability / Ben Wisner -- Vulnerability analysis as a means of strengthening policy formulation and policy practice / Georg Frerks and Stephen Bender. "Mapping Vulnerability, is essential reading for academics, students, policymakers and practitioners in disaster studies, geography, development studies, economics, environmental studies and sociology."--Jacket.