Anti-Earthquake Mobilization in Four Decades: Understanding Political Change in Contemporary China.

详细信息   

• 作者：Peng ; Lin.
• 学历：Doctor
• 年：2012
• 导师：Wang,Shaoguang,eadvisorLi,Lianjiangecommittee memberWang,Shaoguangecommittee memberWu,Fengshiecommittee member
• 毕业院校：The Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Department：Government and Public Administration.
• ISBN：9781267985071
• CBH：3537592
• Country：China
• 语种：English
• FileSize：2417644
• Pages：235

文摘

This research investigates the dynamics and resilience of China's political mobilization by making historical comparison of Chinese government's management of earthquake disasters across four decades. The author selects four major earthquake catastrophes&mdash；Tangshan,Lancang-Gengma,Lijiang,and Wenchuan&mdash；from different historical periods to examine how Chinese government mobilized different types of subjects to contain and control crises under different political,social,and economic conditions. Based upon participatory and non-participatory observation,interviews,and extensive document analyses,this research reveals that China's political mobilization,at least in the issue area of catastrophe management,has demonstrated a more complicated trajectory of change than predicted by most mainstream political theories,especially in the post-revolutionary era featured by increasing socio-economic pluralization and political liberalization. Insitutional elements promoting mass participation and self-sufficience thriving in the revolutionary stage not only continue to function in the reform era,but also coexist with newly emerged mobilizational elements featured by increased state dominance,formal legal procedures,and professional expertise. Based on systematic historical comparison,the author argues that two important factors,besides macro socio-economic transformation,shape the unlinear changing trajectory of political mobilization in the specific area of disaster management: degree of assertiveness of the (central) state and state capacity. This research concludes that as long as the key mobilizing agent,the ruling Communist party,remains normatively and structurally stable,political mobilization would continue to be an important instrument for the Chinese authorities to cope with natural disasters,although its populist and ad hoc nature would give way to higher degree of professionalization and routinization. More importantly,politilcal mobilization will not only promote but also become an integrated part of a more formal and comprehensive component of China's risk governance,as the regime is getting more willing and capable to shoulder the responsibility to deliver more and better public good.