Inundaciones en Buenos Aires. ¿Cómo analizar el componente institucional en la construcción social del riesgo?

This paper deals with the social process through which flooding in Buenos Aires is understood as a question of public policy. By focusing on institutional vulnerabilities, it will show how public policies contribute to risk perception, and how decisions regarding institutional intervention are made when flooding becomes a political event. Through the case study of the catastrophic April 2013 precipitations, this paper will contextualize the problem by looking at the actions and the mistakes of local authorities. It will also offer a critical reading of the statements coming from government workers, experts, and local residents during that period: what their arguments are, the facts they stress, how they assess risks and how they relate them to public institutions. Secondary sources will be used to describe the historical context; a qualitative approach (interviews, participant observation, print and digital sources) will highlight how events and risks are interpreted by social actors.