Disaster management research in Bangladesh: A systematic review of trends, gaps, and challenges

This paper examines the development of disaster management research in Bangladesh from 2000 to 2024, identifying key trends, research gaps, and future directions. Using a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and policy documents, the authors analysed disaster management discourse through thematic categorization, qualitative content analysis, and descriptive statistical analysis. The review identifies nine broad thematic areas, including community resilience and capacity building, policy and governance, disaster management cycle, technological innovations, climate change integration, healthcare systems, gender, education and public awareness, and institutional coordination and livelihood resilience.

The findings suggest a paradigm shift from reactive post-disaster response systems to proactive, resilience-based approaches. The review highlights notable progress in policy planning, early warning systems, community-based disaster risk reduction, and alignment with frameworks such as the Sendai Framework. However, significant challenges remain, including weak inter-agency coordination, inequitable resource distribution, lack of participation of marginalized communities, limited integration of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, and persistent gender and healthcare gaps.