The texts of this special issue of REDER are analyzed from the perspective of social vulnerability in front of disasters, which can be reduced or amplified by the institutional framework, including government policies, structures and actions, as well as legal frameworks and their application through the exercise of law. The diversity of hazards, places, disciplines and perspectives addressed in the articles are crossed by the objective of contributing from science to management, in an attempt to reduce disaster risk. This brings to the debate the issue of government, governability and governance to understand why a partial or wrong risk management can be transformed into new risks.