Collaborative Research: Developing an Intergovernmental Management Framework for Sustainable Recovery Following Catastrophic Disasters

该研究项目将利用2008年汶川地震--中国西部4600万人受灾，88,000多人死亡，四川省大部分地区的经济陷入瘫痪--来回答以下问题：政府能做些什么来确保灾后恢复是快速、公平、高效和可持续的？ 由于在短时间内重建一切的压力，管理灾难性灾害后的重建工作尤其具有挑战性。 有效的恢复过程有助于最大限度地减少灾难对社区的长期影响。 为了实现其目标，本项目将研究汶川地震后国家、省和地方各级的恢复规划和管理策略。 它还将对家庭进行调查，以了解中国复苏政策的实际效果。一个由双语研究人员组成的团队将与各级政府官员会面并收集恢复文件，并由中国大学生进行家庭调查。这项研究将大大提高我们对灾难后恢复管理的理解。为了深入了解灾后恢复，有必要研究各种背景下的事件。在当前中国快速变化的时代，对中国式灾后恢复管理的详细研究将有助于拓宽我们对灾后恢复管理流程的理解。此外，中国的战略包括一些独特的方面，可能值得模仿或适应美国的情况。该项目的一个重要方面是中国和美国研究人员在灾后恢复方面的研究交流和相互学习。研究人员将与中国同事密切合作，设计和执行在中国的实地研究。 中国同事将有机会前往美国了解灾后恢复政策。该小组以前在其他地方研究灾后恢复的经验表明，这种交流将导致继续合作，推动两国的恢复管理做法。此外，由于研究小组的成员参与了美国的恢复实践和政策，研究结果将影响美国未来的灾难恢复规划和管理方法。

This research project will use the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake - which affected 46 million people in western China, caused over 88,000 deaths, and paralyzed the economy of a large part of Sichuan province - to answer the following question: What can government do to ensure that post-disaster recovery is fast, fair, efficient, and sustainable? Managing reconstruction following catastrophic disasters is especially challenging, because of the pressure to rebuild everything in a short time. An effective recovery process can help minimize the long-term effects of a disaster on a community. To accomplish its goal, this project will study the recovery planning and management strategies used at national, provincial, and local levels following the Wenchuan earthquake. It will also survey households to find out about the actual results of the Chinese recovery policies. A bilingual team of researchers will meet with officials and collect recovery documents from all three levels of government, and the household survey will be conducted by Chinese university students.This research will greatly improve our understanding of recovery management after catastrophic disasters. In order to gain a deep understanding of post-disaster recovery, it is necessary to study events in a variety of settings. A detailed study of the Chinese style of recovery management, in the current era of rapid change in China, will help to broaden our understanding of post-catastrophe recovery management processes. In addition, the Chinese strategy includes some unique aspects that may be worth emulating or adapting to U.S. situations. An important aspect of this project is the research exchange and mutual learning about post-disaster recovery in China and the U.S. Researchers will work closely with Chinese colleagues in designing and executing the field research in China. The Chinese colleagues will have the opportunity to travel to the U.S. to learn about post-disaster recovery policies. The team's previous experiences in studying disaster recovery in other places indicate that this exchange will lead to continued collaboration that will advance the practice of recovery management in both countries. Furthermore, because members of the research team are involved in U.S. recovery practice and policy, the results of the research will influence future U.S. approaches to disaster recovery planning and management.