The Cooperation Between Sudden Public Events And Government Departments And Its Institutional Dilemmas

With the development of globalization and rapid economic and social transformation in China, the management of the society is facing ever-increasing challenges. From the state governance perspective, along with the tendency of mistiness on governmental function and the sophistication of the public issues, it is always a frequently discussed topic and focus on how to map out the respective function of the government and related sectors and on how to collaborate and cooperate.In a society where crisis frequently occurred, swift extension of a certain emergency couldaffect sectors with different responsibilities, as well as governments in various regions. Government, who controls the public resource, implements the public power and makes public policy, is the crucial actor in dealing with the public emergency without doubt. The inter-sector collaboration is an inevitable choice in order to reduce the damage caused by the emergencies or crisis effectively. The collaboration includes vertical level involving governmental sectors on different levels, as well as horizontal level involving different functioned governmental sectors. Inter-sector collaboration is a choice based on the legitimacy of the government, a result of trust and resource interdependency between sectors, and a systematical guarantee on a need for effective collaborative acts. The phenomena of development in reality rooted back to the promotion of the institutionalization. Thus, in the existing institutional context, why and how the governmental sectors collaborate in dealing with public emergencies and crisis; what the status quo of collaboration; what would be the problems on collaboration were the vital issues concerned in this research.This study started with public issues, through reviewing and summing up on related literatures and theoretical frameworks. Document analysis, case study and interviews were used as qualitative research methods to outline the study. It summarized the processes and features on evolution of inter-sector collaboration of Chinese government. The existing institutional environment was analyzed in detail, under which the characteristics of inter-sector collaboration in dealing with public emergencies were illustrated. On concluding the institutional evolution and status quo and according to the framework of the study, four elements were conceptualized to reveal the institutional dilemma of inter-sector collaboration when dealing with emergencies and crisis in China:Acting stage, Actors, Coordination Mechanism and Collaborative Criteria. The study ended with a further thought on theories in accordance with the development status of China and the dilemma to be faced, proposing an improvement on inter-sector collaboration when dealing with emergencies and crisis.Firstly, the need for inter-sector collaboration in dealing with public emergencies and crisis is a realistic context. With the flow of the times, this study used a historical view in analyzing and observing the institutional evolution of inter-sector collaboration on public emergency issues in China. The reality in dealing with the crisis, the objective in resource complementariness, the governance served for recovery and the aim in rebuilding trust are all needed as factors to promote inter-sector collaboration when emergencies and crisis occurred. The reflection on traditional public administration theories and neo-public governance practice, plus the refinement on neo-public service theory formed the evolution of inter-sector collaboration. In reality, the inter-sector collaboration on public emergencies and crisis in China could be divided into three phases:period of turmoil (1949-1978), period of seeking (1978-2003) and period of development (after 2003).Secondly, the governance on emergencies in China followed the general framework of Yiansanzhi (One Pre-arranged Plane and Three Systems) in current stage. Under the single centralized administrative system, local governments established matching emergency systems with the central government according to instruction. This study introduced the content and development of Yiansanzhi framework on emergency and crisis, taking Shanghai Municipal city as a model to illustrate the institutional environment for emergency-dealing system on local level. They study took Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008 and Shanghai handling H1N1 influenzain 2009 as cases, to summarize, under the current institutional environment, the features of acts by different sectors in dealing with public emergencies and crisis.Thirdly, Acting stage, Actors, Coordination Mechanism and Collaborative Criteriaare used as concepts to explain acts of collaboration between governmental sectors, in order to reveal the institutional dilemma of inter-sector collaboration when dealing with public emergencies and crisis. From the totality to individuals, from macro level to micro level, this study pointed out the mechanism dilemma.Lastly, the improvement proposal was made upon two arguments:on the one hand, a rethinking on the lifecycle theory on crisis and emergency governance procedure is needed to emphasize a institutional implant of collaborative acts between sectors of government into emergency dealing processes; on the other hand, a model integrated with strategic consciousness, external mechanism, collaboration framework, technology platform and multiple actors was proposed to practice. With regard to the reality of status quo in development of China, the organic combination of the two arguments above formulated the model to improve collaboration between governmental sectors when dealing with public emergencies and crisis.This study consiaerea the logic frameworK or inter-sector conaboranon or government on pubic emergencies and crisis to be concluded that, public emergencies and inter-sector collaboration are results of institutional evolution internally demanded by the society. The institutional environment in China caused the dilemma. The system reform needed to undertaken by improving governance on procedures in dealing with emergencies and crisis.