Understanding government's role in integrated disaster risk governance

• Published date: 01 November 2020
• Author: Feng Kong
• Date: 01 November 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2452

COMMENTARY

Understanding government's role in integrated disaster

risk governance

Feng Kong

1,2

1

Faculty of School of Public Policy and

Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing,

China

2

College of Humanities and Development

Studies, China Agriculture University, Beijing,

China

Correspondence

Feng Kong, Faculty of School of Public Policy

and Management, Tsinghua University,

Haidian District, Beijing 100084, China.

Email: kongfeng0824@foxmail.com

Funding information

Beijing Social Science Foundation Project,

Grant/Award Number: 19JDGLA008

Under the background of global climate change and rapid urbanization, industrializa-

tion, and informatization, all kinds of disasters occur frequently. Integrated disaster

risk governance (IDRG) has become one of the core topics of social concern because

it is related to regional sustainable development. Compared with institutions, com-

munities, and public, the government plays a leading and collaborative role in IDRG.

From the perspective of understanding the role of government in IDRG, this article

first expounds the important role of government in IDRG. Then it analyzes the multi-

ple roles of the government in the IDRG, including the leader, planner, promoter, and

organizer. Thirdly, this article analyzes the government's coordination and integration

role and international humanitarian role in IDRG. Finally, the analysis content of this

article is summarized.

1|IMPORTANCE AND URGENCY OF

INTEGRATED DISASTER RISK GOVERNANCE

Integrated disaster risk governance (IDRG) is not only an important

work in social management, but also a basic work to realize the sus-

tainable development of social economy (Shi, 2019; Shi, Xu, &

Wang, 2016). In recent years, the frequent occurrence of major disas-

ters all over the world has caused great harm to the safety of life on

earth (Alexander, 2006; Meng, Yang, Shi, & Jeager, 2015), including

human beings, and also has a wide impact on the sustainable develop-

ment of the world's social economy (Kong, Lv, & Wang, 2018b; Kong,

Wang, Lv, Meng, & Shi, 2018a). Therefore, it has become an

extremely important and urgent task for the whole society to find

effective ways to prevent disaster risk, improve the utilization effi-

ciency and efficiency of disaster prevention and mitigation resources,

and realize scientific development based on people's livelihood

(Ikeda & Nagasaka, 2011). IDRG involves all the components of expo-

sures, in which the government, institutions, communities, and the

public play an important role (Liu, Yin, Chen, Wang, & Liu, 2016). As

the stakeholders of disaster prevention and mitigation interests, they

play an irreplaceable and common goal and mission in all aspects of

disaster risk prevention (Loh, 2005; Lv, 2017). What kind of role does

the government play in these four kinds of stakeholders, especially in

different political and economic systems? This is the focus of this

article.

2|GOVERNMENT'S MULTIFUNCTIONAL

ROLE IN IDRG

In different political and economic systems, the role of the govern-

ment is different (Xue, 2010). But for the public affairs of disaster risk

prevention, whether it is a federal capitalist market economy country

like the United States, or a centralized socialist market economy coun-

try like China, the government plays an extremely important role,

although in different stages of disaster management, the role of the

government in IDRG is not completely equal (Zhang, Lu, Zhong, &

Ye, 2018). In the face of disasters, just as everyone is equal before the

law, a people's livelihood oriented government must assume the main

responsibility for disaster risk management (Zhang, Yi, & Zhao, 2013).

In the era of seeking scientific development, the government must

take on the leading role of IDRG, which is also the power given by the

people to the government.

Through leading, planning, promoting, and organizing the IDRG,

the government comprehensively strengthens its own functions in the

process of strengthening the political, economic, cultural, and social

construction, practices the leading role of the IDRG, and realizes the

service to the public and the leadership of public utilities (Shi, 2019).

At the same time, it is necessary to integrate the government and

nongovernmental organizations (NGO), government resources and

social resources, mainstream culture and auxiliary culture, strong

and weak groups, so as to play the role of government in IDRG.

Received: 27 August 2020Accepted: 29 August 2020

DOI: 10.1002/pa.2452

J Public Affairs. 2020;20:e2452.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pa© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd1of6

https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2452