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

这个研究项目将利用2008年汶川地震来回答以下问题：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？汶川地震影响了中国西部4600万人，造成88000多人死亡，并使四川省大部分地区的经济陷入瘫痪。灾难性灾难后的重建管理尤其具有挑战性，因为要在短时间内重建一切。一个有效的恢复过程可以帮助减少灾难对社区的长期影响。为实现这一目标，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。为了了解中国经济复苏政策的实际效果，还将对家庭进行调查。一个双语研究小组将与官员会面，收集三级政府的恢复文件，并由中国大学生进行住户调查。这项研究将大大提高我们对灾难后恢复管理的认识。为了深入了解灾后恢复，有必要研究各种环境下的事件。在当前中国快速变化的时代，对中国式恢复管理的详细研究将有助于拓宽我们对灾后恢复管理过程的理解。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中美两国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，在中国设计和实施实地研究。中方同事将有机会前往美国学习灾后恢复政策。该小组以前在其他地方研究灾难恢复的经验表明，这种交流将导致继续合作，从而推动两国的恢复管理实践。此外，由于研究小组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.