Preventive Governance of Natural Risks: Social Vulnerability and Legal Tools in Territorial Contexts
Siria Canciani
ABSTRACT
Natural hazards increasingly reveal territorial inequalities, showing that disaster impacts depend not only on the intensity of hazardous events but also on pre-existing social and institutional vulnerabilities. This article examines preventive governance as a legal and social framework aimed at reducing risk before disasters occur. The study adopts a qualitative and interdisciplinary approach, combining social vulnerability analysis with public law and public procurement perspectives. It focuses on how public spending and contractual instruments can support ex ante risk mitigation policies and strengthen territorial resilience. The analysis shows that prevention-oriented governance is not merely a technical strategy of anticipation, but also a redistributive mechanism capable of correcting structural imbalances among territories. When vulnerability assessments guide planning, budgeting, and procurement choices, preventive investments can align legal compliance with social effectiveness. The paper further argues that public contracts, through life-cycle costing, sustainability requirements, and outcome-oriented clauses, represent an important legal lever for integrating resilience objectives into ordinary administrative action. Finally, the study highlights that preventive spending should be regarded as a long-term social investment rather than a short-term cost, because it reduces emergency-driven expenditures and improves public accountability. The findings support the view that anticipatory and prevention-based governance can contribute to more equitable protection of communities exposed to natural hazards.
