Natural Disaster Emergency Management in China Based on Quantitative Content Analysis of Central Government Policy Tools

Na Zhou, Yisai Liu, Heyin Tong, Yuqi Li () and Qiaosheng Wu
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Na Zhou: School of Public Administration, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Yisai Liu: School of Public Administration, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Heyin Tong: School of Public Administration, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Yuqi Li: Department of Management Engineering and Equipment Economics, Naval University of Engineering, No. 717 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan 430033, China
Qiaosheng Wu: School of Economics and Management, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-21

Abstract: The sudden and unusual nature of natural disasters in China underscores the complexity and difficulty inherent in China’s natural disaster emergency management (NDEM). National-level NDEM plays a critical role in bridging China’s emergency management capacity with modernization efforts, serving as a foundation for integrating development with security. In this study, we analyzed 250 NDEM-related policies issued by the Chinese central government between 1954 and 2022 as research objects. Using a five-factor analysis framework, we tracked the evolution of China’s NDEM by analyzing the time of issue, policy authority, departmental cooperation, policy themes, and policy tools. Our findings indicated that the cooperation networks exhibited growing complexity and expanding collaboration in the early stages but shifted to a more centralized and streamlined structure after the year 2018. The themes of NDEM policies reflect the modernization needs of emergency management, with science and technology proving essential to advancing NDEM capabilities. However, the structure of NDEM policy tools requires further optimization. Accordingly, we propose policy recommendations aimed at enhancing interdepartmental cooperation, accelerating the integration of science and technology in NDEM, and optimizing and adjusting the configuration of policy tools.

Keywords: natural disaster; emergency management; policy evolution; policy tools; quantitative content analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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