Cascades - Mapping the multi-disciplinary landscape in a post-pandemic world

Area of Science:

• Disaster Risk Management
• Complex Systems Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Cascading effects are critical in understanding disaster propagation.
• Previous research often lacks a multi-disciplinary approach to cascade analysis.
• The COVID-19 pandemic presents a unique, unfolding case study for cascade phenomena.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce a special issue focused on cascading effects in disaster risk management.
• Synthesize multi-disciplinary perspectives on disaster cascades.
• Evaluate the applicability of the cascade metaphor to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of contributions to the special issue.
• Analysis of multi-disciplinary interpretations of cascading effects.
• Qualitative discussion on the COVID-19 pandemic as a cascade event.

Main Results:

• The special issue features diverse, integrated approaches to understanding disaster cascades.
• Multi-disciplinary interpretations enrich the analysis of cascade dynamics.
• The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates characteristics consistent with cascading effects in disaster risk.

Conclusions:

• Cascading effects are a crucial, complex aspect of disaster risk management.
• A multi-disciplinary approach is essential for comprehensive cascade analysis.
• The cascade metaphor provides valuable insights into understanding global health crises like COVID-19.