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Article
Disasters, Crises, and Unique Populations: Suggestions for Survey Research
New Directions for Evaluation (2010)
  • Patric R Spence, University of Kentucky
  • Kenneth Lachlan, University of Connecticut
Abstract
Methodological and data-analysis challenges for evaluators working in disaster and crisis contexts are discussed. Crises are, by definition, unexpected, nonroutine occurrences that create conditions unfavorable to traditional methods of data collection. The inherently novel nature of disasters and large-scale crises, coupled with their unpredictability, often makes data collection difficult at best. Given the methodological limitations imposed by the conditions surrounding disasters, researchers and evaluators are often criticized for methodological decisions concerning data collection, randomization, and generalizability. This chapter addresses issues of data collection, randomization and data analysis in disaster research, outlining the difficulties of randomization, problems stemming from the absence of randomization, and potential solutions to these problems.

Keywords
  • crisis communication,
  • survey methods,
  • sampling
Publication Date
2010
DOI
10.1002/ev.332
Citation Information
Patric R Spence and Kenneth Lachlan. "Disasters, Crises, and Unique Populations: Suggestions for Survey Research" New Directions for Evaluation Vol. 126 (2010) p. 95 - 106
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/patric_spence/1/