Climate Vulnerability in Malawi: Reproducing Malcomb et al. (2014)

Throughout the reproduction of Malcomb et al. (2014), I focused on improving transparency with the addition of written analyses as well as more direct acknowledgments of inconsistencies within the original study. The discussion, conclusion, and rationale sections will help showcase the deviations, results, and reasoning behind this reproduction. By directly addressing the inconsistent labels and equations on the original study’s figures, this reproduction will more thoroughly represent why we failed to get perfectly correlated figures. For this reproduction of Malcomb et al. (2014), I reconstructed Figure 5 to showcase the literal equation presented in the figure (vulnerability = assets + access + livelihoods - exposure). By graphing the literal equation along with a scatter plot and Spearman’s Rho Comparison, I found a negative correlation with the original Figure 5. This finding showcases the ambiguous definition of ‘vulnerability’ within literature surrounding social vulnerability models and uncertainty within this study’s construct validity.

The process of writing the discussion, conclusion, and ‘rationale for the updated report’ sections helped me to rethink and analyze each deviation to the original study. Going through each step of the study emphasized the need for transparency for both the original study and its reproduction. Additionally, this study’s reproduction also emphasized the importance of construct validity as the figures did not represent what they were labeled to represent. By clarifying the reasonings and inconsistencies of the Malcomb et al. (2014) study, the reproduction will improve the understanding behind the study’s vulnerability model for Malawi.

Check out the reproduced study here

Check out the Github repository for the reproduction here

References

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