Man-made Disaster ? A Case of Failed Governance in a Latin American Economy

International Handbook of Disaster Research

Springer

Lugar: Singapur; Año: 2022; p. 1 - 2

Disasters are the aftermath of hazardous events. In other words, events triggered by natural phenomena, such as flooding, extreme weather, or technological/structural failure become disasters when they have the potential to cause damage to people, property, essential services, and the environment. This chapter is based on multiple bridge collapse incidents in Argentina, causing extensive damage and disruption in the region and exposing deep-rooted corruption at administrative and government levels. Heavy rains in January 2007 and March 2015 were said to have caused many bridges to collapse within a few days in Tucumán, Argentina, and announcements of funds for rebuilding followed immediately. The press reported the bridges were constructed with funds flowing from a federal government account whose authorities were convicted of corruption and sentenced to prison. The news media suggested that politicians and local businessmen agreed to a 5% kickback in public works contracts. Worldwide, corruption costs USD2 trillion per year or 20% of all government procurements, with bribery and favoritism being common forms of corruption. We contribute to the discussion on how corruption uses the force of nature to perpetuate itself in a context of weak control mechanisms and low transparency. The case illustrates how government officials use natural hazards turned into disasters to maintain an indefinitive state of emergency allowing two negative practices to perpetuate: grant contracts without public tender and contractors cut corners to ensure that the construction needs repairs or reconstructions soon. This combination of factors can result in man-made disasters.