Publication

This paper examines the concept of 'build back better' after a disaster and the ethical and humanitarian dilemmas it represents. In fact, in order to test the benefits of the concept in the real world, the paper examines how it was applied in three disaster responses -- the Indian Ocean tsunami in Aceh, Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. When looking at these cases, it seems that the most consequential feature of 'build back better' is that it transforms political relationships, which is something humanitarian actors need to consider before they blindly embrace the concept.