ABSTRACT
The recent occurrence of several large-scale crises, such as the Wenchuan and Yaan earthquakes, the Gansu mudslides, the Tianjin port blast, and the Funing tornado, has led decision makers in China to increasingly recognise the need to engage non-government organizations (NGOs) in responding to crises. In this study, we establish a framework to analyse collaboration between government and NGOs during crises. This framework consists of four levels for cross-sector collaboration, and six conditions explaining them. The framework is used to analyse a case study on collaboration between local government and NGOs during the Funing tornado. Collaboration occurred at the information sharing and action coordination levels. We conclude the formal collaboration between government and NGOs in this case was still limited and it was not based on negotiations and interactions. Instead, it was essentially hierarchical and control-oriented. This type of collaboration might have the advantage of responding to crises in an effective way, but it comes at the cost of trust, commitment and reciprocity.
Acknowledgements
We want to express our thanks to professor Yuan Ting from California State University Fullerton for his valuable suggestions and comments.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
3. Respondent 3.
4. http://www.js119.com/news/pnews/2016-06-24/79947.html, available on 3 January 2017.
5. http://www.toutiao.com/i6299715887607841282/, available on 3 January 2017.
6. Respondent 1.
7. Respondent 1.
8. Respondent 2.
9. Respondent 2.
10. Respondent 4.
11. Respondent 17.
12. Respondent 17.
13. Respondent 5.
14. Respondent 1.
15. Respondent 5.
16. Respondent 9.
17. Respondent 9.
18. Respondent 24.
19. Respondent 25.
20. Respondent 25.
21. Respondent 23.
22. Respondent 1.
23. Respondent 23.
24. Respondent 16.
25. Respondent 13 and Respondent 14.
26. Respondent 17.
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Yana Lu
Yana Lu is a professor in the Department of Public Administration at Nanjing Normal University, China. Her research interests include: cross-sector collaboration, the governance of social organizations, and disaster management. Her studies have been widely published in international and national journals.
Yanwei Li
Yanwei Li is an associate professor in Department of Public Administration at Nanjing Normal University, China. His research interests include: the governance of the sharing economy, the governance of risks in adopting innovative technologies, and cross-sector collaboration. His research has been published in journals, such as Public Administration, Policy Sciences, Policy Studies, and Public Policy and Administration. His most recent study, ‘What drives the governance of ridesharing in China? A fuzzy-set QCA of local regulations in China’, was published in Policy Sciences.