Confidence and Trust in Public Institution Natural Hazards Management: Case Studies in Urban and Rural China. Issue 3 (2nd July 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lo, Alex Y.; Cheung, Lewis T. O.; Lee, Anna Ka-Yin; Xu, Bixia
• Is Part Of: Professional geographer. Volume 68:Issue 3(2016)
• Page Start: 475
• Page End: 484
• Publication Date: 2016-07-02
• Subjects: China -- hazards management -- institutional trust -- natural hazards -- public confidence; 中国, 灾害管理, 制度信任, 自然灾害, 公众信心。; China, manejo de riesgos, confianza institucional, riesgos naturales, confianza pública; Geography -- Periodicals; 910
• DOI: 10.1080/00330124.2015.1106325
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0033-0124

Abstract

Abstract : This research aims to investigate the extent to which urban and rural residents trust grassroots-level institutions and how this might affect community resilience to environmental change in China. It focuses on the commitments of institutional actors and their capacities to manage natural hazards and coordinate the community's response. Semistructured interviews were conducted with megacity (Tianjin) and remote village (Wolong) residents in China. We found that public confidence in grassroots-level institutions is limited due to inherent constraints on resources and power. Residents of Wolong tend to recognize the commitment and role of those institutions in connecting individuals with one another, whereas their urban counterparts in Tianjin remain skeptical. Issues of solidarity might account for this difference. These findings will have implications for state–society cooperation and disaster risk comanagement in both urban and rural China.