Enhancing the Collaborative Governance in Post-disaster Reconstruction: A Dynamic Performance Management Approach

The impact of natural disasters on human life was blatantly demonstrated through media reports of recent events such as the Ache tsunami in 2004, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008 and Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami in 2010-2011. Rising from the rubbles, our societies strive to learn from the experiences of how to build a better life and avoid future catastrophes. Post-disaster reconstruction (PDR) plays a crucial role in providing a safer and more resilient living environment for people, particularly for those disaster victims. This thesis focused on how implementing a collaborative governance approach in post-disaster reconstruction can offer effective solutions to enhance future post-disaster reconstruction and recovery efforts. To pursue such a goal an outcome-based Dynamic Performance Management (DPM) perspective has been adopted. The main results of this study are as follows: This research supports collaborative governance can help the post-disaster reconstruction phase, using the lens of the DPM framework. Usage of the DPM approach represents a novel approach to frame the performance outcomes of collaborative governance in post-disaster reconstruction. Based on the study of ten huge disasters since 2000, this research applies the DPM approach to makes explicit how available strategic resources may impact on performance drivers, thereby influencing the outcomes of collaboration. Therefore, it offers a framework to support decision-makers in identifying key measures (e.g., the attractiveness of collaboration, government credibility ratio) and to design effective policies to improve collaborative governance in post-disaster reconstruction activities. This research uses the system dynamics (SD) methodology to analyze the dynamic features of a collaborative governance approach in post-disaster reconstruction. In this research, the interactions of multi-stakeholders in post-disaster reconstruction are investigated and made explicit in a SD simulation model. The dynamic of resource supply, reconstruction, resource allocation, and collaborative governance among the government, profit and non-profit organizations, and the public were modeled. The research findings can support decision makers in the effective implementation of reconstruction practices (e.g., reconstruction progress, economic recovery) and in the improvement of social-economic indicators (e.g., government credibility, citizen satisfaction). Government credibility also demonstrated to play an important role in the successful implementation of a collaborative governance approach. This research demonstrates that “Paired Assistance Policy” collaborative governance reconstruction mode in post-Wenchuan Earthquake reconstruction is more efficient than traditional mode by using SD modelling approach. The Wenchuan Earthquake offers an illuminating case study for better understanding the dynamic collaborative governance in post-disaster reconstruction. This research analyzes the special “Paired Assistance Policy” (PAP) collaborative governance mode of in post-Wenchuan Earthquake reconstruction and presents a SD model to identify the key factors impacting on the outcomes of the PAP collaborative governance mode. The findings demonstrate that the PAP collaborative governance mode fosters efficiency and effectiveness in post-disaster reconstruction and recovery. Meanwhile, it reveals that the balance between central and local government and paired assisting parities is necessary to improve the outcomes of collaborative governance. Overall, this research enriches the outcome-oriented view of performance management, with a deep understanding of the development of a collaborative governance system. It offers new knowledge on the dynamic and complex effects of collaborative governance on post-reconstruction practices.