Examining Social Vulnerability Models
After working on the Malcomb et al. (2014) reproduction, I do think social vulnerability models should be reproducible. Especially when lives and livelihoods may be seriously affected by the construction of a social vulnerability model, reproducibility can at least increase transparency for evaluations of the model. Additionally, Rufat et al (2003) emphasizes the important influence of the configuration of the social vulnerability model on its empirical validity. Since the reproduction could not perfectly reproduce the social vulnerability models within Figures 4 and 5 in the Malcomb et al (2014) study, the model used in the study may be questioned in its validity. Uncertainty is especially important to address if whole villages/traditional authorities in Malawi could potentially get the wrong amount of aid or attention due to a social vulnerability model.
Though not completely flushed out, my opinion on whether social vulnerability models should be replicable is more ambiguous compared to reproducibility. Especially when working with different regions/countries, I think the location-based factors of a social vulnerability model are important to consider. Especially with the Malawi example in Malcomb et al (2014), I can appreciate how the original authors tried to tailor the vulnerability indicators using qualitative surveys and information. Though the use of qualitative data and the measurements/processes using the qualitative data (including the normalization process) may be harder to replicate, I also think that the social impact of doing ethnographies/surveys for communities could be influential for researchers when assigning social vulnerabilities
References
Cutter, S. L., Boruff, B. J., & Shirley, W. L. 2003. Social vulnerability to environmental hazards. Social Science Quarterly, 84(2), 242–261. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-6237.8402002
Malcomb, D. W., E. A. Weaver, and A. R. Krakowka. 2014. Vulnerability modeling for sub-Saharan Africa: An operationalized approach in Malawi. Applied Geography 48:17–30. DOI:10.1016/j.apgeog.2014.01.004
Rufat, S., Tate, E., Emrich, C. T., & Antolini, F. 2019. How Valid Are Social Vulnerability Models? Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 109(4), 1131–1153. https://doi.org/10.1080/24694452.2018.1535887