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From Mandates to Mechanisms: Institutional Vulnerability, Decentralized Governance, and the Challenges of Local Disaster Risk Reduction Implementation
Irasema Alcántara-Ayala, Gema Velásquez-Espinoza, Adán Montes de Jesús. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2025-10-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Abstract Despite the increasing global emphasis on decentralized disaster risk reduction (DRR), the capacity of local institutions to implement effective risk governance strategies remains inconsistent and often inadequate. This study conducted a comparative analysis of institutional vulnerability at the municipal level in two hazard-prone regions: Teziutlán, Mexico, and Tola, Nicaragua. It employed comparative case study methods alongside structured surveys administered to local DRR actors. An integrated analytical framework was used, synthesizing the Pressure and Release model, the Forensic Investigations of Disasters approach, the MOVE framework, and the Institutional Analysis and Development model. The research identified key institutional vulnerabilities, including preparedness, coordination, information access, infrastructure, legal enforcement, climate integration, and informal governance. The findings indicate that the deficiencies within these institutions are not merely technical but are significantly influenced by systemic disparities in power, resource allocation, and political stability. Both municipalities exhibit notable gaps between formal DRR mandates and their operational implementation, reflecting a structural disjunction between institutions articulated in policy (institutions-in-form) and those in practice (institutions-in-use). The study concluded that effectively addressing institutional vulnerability necessitates transitioning from compliance-driven reforms towards integrated strategies that foster institutional learning, enhance cross-sectoral coordination, promote climate adaptation, and acknowledge informal and community-based governance structures. These findings offer policy-relevant insights for national and regional policymakers seeking to strengthen the institutional foundations of local DRR implementation within Latin America and comparable decentralized governance contexts.
Key findings
- The findings indicate that the deficiencies within these institutions are not merely technical but are significantly influenced by systemic disparities in power, resource allocation, and political stability.
- The study concluded that effectively addressing institutional vulnerability necessitates transitioning from compliance-driven reforms towards integrated strategies that foster institutional learning, enhance cross-sectoral coordination, promote climate adaptation, and acknowledge informal and community-based governance structures.
- These findings offer policy-relevant insights for national and regional policymakers seeking to strengthen the institutional foundations of local DRR implementation within Latin America and comparable decentralized governance contexts.
Why it matters
This study compares local disaster risk reduction institutions in Mexico and Nicaragua, not Alzheimer's disease. It found that institutional weaknesses are shaped by power, resource allocation and political stability, and that a shift from compliance-driven reforms to integrated strategies is needed.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 42/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 40 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 42 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (International Journal of Disaster Risk Science) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | International Journal of Disaster Risk Science: journal h-index 75 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 3 / 7 | Cited 22 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 7.3 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 6 / 6 | Cited 40.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 22 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author Adán Montes de Jesús holds only 1 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México: institution h-index 668 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 40 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 40 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 42 out of 100. |
| Total | 42 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1007/s13753-025-00673-y
- Original source →
- Free full text: International Journal of Disaster Risk Science →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Alcántara-Ayala, I., Velásquez-Espinoza, G., & de Jesús, A. M. (2025). From Mandates to Mechanisms: Institutional Vulnerability, Decentralized Governance, and the Challenges of Local Disaster Risk Reduction Implementation. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-025-00673-y
Vancouver
Alcántara-Ayala I, Velásquez-Espinoza G, de Jesús AM. From Mandates to Mechanisms: Institutional Vulnerability, Decentralized Governance, and the Challenges of Local Disaster Risk Reduction Implementation. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science. 2025. doi:10.1007/s13753-025-00673-y.
BibTeX
@article{alcantaraayala2025-fb723984,
author = {Alcántara-Ayala, Irasema and Velásquez-Espinoza, Gema and de Jesús, Adán Montes},
title = {{From Mandates to Mechanisms: Institutional Vulnerability, Decentralized Governance, and the Challenges of Local Disaster Risk Reduction Implementation}},
journal = {International Journal of Disaster Risk Science},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1007/s13753-025-00673-y},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-025-00673-y}
}