A Changing Environment for Human Security

22  The institutionalisation of vulnerable conditions and a case study from Germany

Christian Kuhlicke

Introduction: positioning the argument

Vulnerability is no universal theory; it is a middle range theory attempting to integrate conceptual reasoning and empirical research with regard to specific social phenomena (e.g. the occurrence of devastating famines or floods). A meaningful application of the concept should be based on some kind of contextualisation both empirically as well as conceptually (cf. Kuhlicke et al., 2011). Against this background, the current application of the concept of vulnerability and the increasing emphasis on assessment procedures across the globe seems somewhat troubling. Particularly the strong relationship between ...