Resident preferences for augmented rainstorm disasters management strategies: the case of Nanjing in China

ABSTRACT

In recent years, rainstorm disasters have enormously negative effect on property safety and life safety in Nanjing. In order to achieve the consistency of optimal social supply of rainstorm disasters prevention management strategies and public sector supply, this paper studies citizens’ preferences for augmented strategies in Nanjing. Using a choice experiment approach, we consider willingness-to-pay (WTP) for augmented efforts for non-structural reform strategy of rainstorm runoff control, structural reform strategy of rainstorm drainage and non-structural education. Our results showed that citizens were generally in favor of augmented rainstorm disaster prevention management strategies, but with varying degrees. They were most favorable to increased educational effort that does not physically affect rainstorm, with the WTP of ¥134.29 a year. Followed by improvements in Non-structural Reform Strategy of Rainstorm Runoff Control, its WTP was ¥88.08 a year. The improving Structural Reform Strategy of Rainstorm drainage was less influential, but still significantly affected policy choice with the WTP of ¥55.42 a year. Specifically, the results of latent class model best confirmed the assumption that individual preference is heterogeneous. Furthermore, in order to gain the support of the public, policy-makers should advance publicly linked strategies such as mentioned in this study that appear most useful.

KEYWORDS:

• Rainstorm disasters
• stormwater management
• willingness-to-pay

Acknowledgements

We also appreciate the helpful comments of the reviewers to make this a much better paper. Much thanks to Prof. Edmund Penning-Rowsell and Mr Gemark Dionisio for their kind work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 This policy refers to prevent secondary disaster of rainstorm. For instance, the public will be notified post-disaster information about road waterlogging and traffic congestion.

2 Source: Statistical Yearbook of Nanjing (2014).

3 Source: Nanjing Price Control Administration (2015).

4 Train and Sonnier (2005) outline some theoretical and practical reasons for excluding a distribution of the payment vehicle, especially to aid model convergence.

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [No.71603129; No.91546117; No.71373131; No.71774088], China Meteorological Soft Science [[2016]M32]; the Startup Foundation for Introducing Talent of NUIST [No.2015r067], China Institute of Manufacturing Development Open Project [No.SK20160090-11, No.SK20170090-25], and College Students’ Innovation & Entrepreneurship Training Plan in 2017 [No.201710300034Z].