A Livelihood Resilience Measurement Framework for Dam-Induced Displacement and Resettlement

The concepts of resilience and livelihood resilience are growing in prominence with water resource development that aims to measure and build resilience to specific disturbances and shocks. However, practical frameworks to measure livelihood resilience are needed, not just a theoretical framework. In this paper, we introduce the livelihood resilience measurement (LRM) framework, which draws on Hooke’s law; use the state vector method to calculate livelihood resilience scores; and test the effectiveness of the method by correlation analysis. We illustrate the framework by using it to measure livelihood resilience in Henan Province, China, and assess the strategies that build livelihood resilience. The advantages and limitations of the framework are explored and discussed by drawing on empirical examples. Besides illustrating how to apply the LRM framework in a practical case, we discuss how to communicate with stakeholders to identify and strengthen the factors that build resilience. In this study, land ownership, housing and property value, and emergency cost are the most significant of these factors. Thus, the LRM framework has the potential to help reservoir-affected families protect their livelihood capital and to help governments improve social welfare. It can thus serve as a tool for monitoring and improving the effectiveness of policies and practices aimed at building livelihood resilience.