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

这项研究项目将利用2008年汶川地震来回答以下问题：政府可以做些什么来确保灾后恢复快速、公平、高效和可持续？汶川地震影响了西部中国地区的4,600万人，造成超过88,000人死亡，并使四川省大部分地区的经济陷入瘫痪。管理灾难性灾难后的重建尤其具有挑战性，因为在短时间内重建一切的压力很大。有效的恢复过程有助于将灾难对社区的长期影响降至最低。为了实现其目标，该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战略。它还将对家庭进行调查，以了解中国复苏政策的实际效果。一个双语研究团队将会见官员并收集来自三级政府的恢复文件，家庭调查将由中国大学生进行。这项研究将极大地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情况，有必要研究各种背景下的事件。在当前中国快速变革的时代背景下，深入研究中国式的灾后恢复管理，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，可能值得效仿或适应美国的情况。该项目的一个重要方面是关于中国和美国灾后恢复的研究交流和互鉴。美国研究人员将与中国同事密切合作，设计和实施中国的实地考察。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开展合作，从而推动两国恢复管理的做法。此外，由于研究团队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.