Civil Service and Civil Society Collaboration: A Comparative Analysis of Disaster Management Results in China and the United States

This article explores the way natural disasters provide an opportunity to address relations between civil society and the state as mutually empowering. Such opportunity can be reinforced when civil servants help to mobilize the interests of marginalized communities into disaster management and collaborate with active civil associations in seeking to reduce disaster vulnerabilities. This requires that public administration be able to respond to disaster in an effective and equitable way. Civil servants should be capable of being socially reliable by building and maintaining trust in relationships with communities and civil organizations. Using the Gulf Coast Hurricanes (United States) in 2005 and the Wenchuan Earthquake (China) in 2008 as case studies, this article comparatively addresses the significance of public administration's role in developing mutual empowerment in state and civil society relations in the face of adversity. Given the fact that civil service capacity becomes a crucial factor in determining state-civil society relations, it also has important implications for the potential of democratization in China.     

Natural disaster news and communities of feeling: the affective interpellation of local and global publics

This paper engages with contemporary debates around the mediation of distant suffering by examining the ways in which news selection and reporting interpellate audiences into communities of feeling, in which affective belonging is structured by multimodal rhetorical strategies. Concepts drawn from discursive psychology and systemic-functional linguistics (appraisal theory) are used to show how news coverage of natural disasters positions audiences affectively. Analysis of Australian print media coverage of the 2009 Australian bushfires and the 2010 Haiti earthquake will be used to show how this process differs for local and international events. The paper contributes to debates on the “emotionalisation” of public culture by exploring the precise functions of affect within disaster reporting; in particular, how the production of various kinds of affects in the wake of a disaster shapes local and global publics.     

School Mental Health's Response to Terrorism and Disaster

Abstract

The events of September 11,2001, have underscored the mental health needs of youth and families, and amplified the advantages of proactively bringing a range of mental health services to them, where they are, in natural settings such as schools. Further, there is increasing momentum for the enhancement of coordinated and comprehensive school-based approaches that seek to effectively respond to significant crises such as terrorist attacks and disaster. This article explores key themes related to school mental health's response to terrorism and disaster. Following review of background literature on child and adult reactions to trauma, we discuss the development of crisis response teams, and present a range of strategies for schools to respond to crises and disaster. The experiences of one elementary school in responding to the events of September 11 are presented, followed by review of critical challenges facing schools and school mental health programs in improving their ability to respond to significant crises.     

汶川灾区思想政治工作方式述论

汶川灾区思想政治工作方式是根据党的以人为本的执政理念,从汶川灾区民众心理和现实需求出发,在救灾和重建过程中逐渐探索而形成的一种灾区思想政治工作方式,其主要内容是心理救助、感恩教育、铭恩奋进。汶川方式是一种充满人文精神的灾区思想政治工作方式,是对常规思想政治工作方式的突破,具有一定的创新意义和示范意义。     

从《左传》看抗震救灾精神之源远流长

“5·12”汶川大地震后，举国表现出了同舟共济、患难与共的精神。这种精神在我国文化中源远流长。从《左传》可以看到，在春秋时期，中华民族对救灾赈灾就非常自觉与重视，甚至以盟约的方式明确救灾责任。面对灾害，一方面，诸侯国内部组织自救，另一方面，诸侯国之间相互救助。几千年以来，中华民族形成了风雨同舟、患难与共的思想、精神与传统，这个优秀传统在汶川大地震后绽放为“5·12”抗灾精神。     

论重大人群灾难事件中的名单管理

重大人群灾难事件发生后,其中所涉及的具体个人不应当简单地以数据的方式被表达。科学地、人性化地管理重大人群灾难事件的名单,把它作为评价处置重大人群灾难事件的绩效标准之一,不仅体现了公安工作的“为民服务”目的,同时也将切实提高重大人群灾难事件的管理水平和效率。     

清至民国时期西藏地震研究

根据已整理出版的西藏地震史料,在统计清至民国时期西藏震灾(M≥4.75)数量的基础上,与同时期水、雪灾害作了比较分析,认为震灾虽然数量较少,但其社会危害性不容忽视。并在此基础上考察了清至民国时期西藏震灾的地理分布特征及其地震的巨大损失和危害、政府的灾后赈济措施。     

汶川地震灾后对口支援有关问题思考

2008年6月18日,中国政府网全文公布汶川地震灾后恢复重建对口支援方案后,许多省份立即行动起来,积极开展对地震灾区的援建工作。虽然一段时间以来已经取得了可喜成绩,但同时也出现了一些当前对口支援方面所需考虑的突出问题,主要包括援建资金的合理化安排和使用、灾民的灾后心理创伤疏导、灾民素质的提高以及对口支援的监督工作等方面问题。当前,必须针对这些问题采取措施、落实责任,帮助灾区人民尽快重新建设好自己的家园。     

弘扬抗震救灾精神的几点思考

万众一心、众志成城，不畏艰险、百折不挠，以人为本、尊重科学的伟大抗震救灾精神，是民族精神和时代精神汇流的中国精神，是中华民族精神的一种崭新形态。在全面建设小康社会、努力构建社会主义和谐社会过程中必须通过不断加强中国特色社会主义实践建设、制度建设、人格教育大力弘扬抗震救灾精神，为推动科学发展、促进社会和谐输入源源不断的动力支持和精神支撑。     

《救灾法》立法若干问题研究

本文探讨了依法确立救灾管理体制,规范救灾经费使用,加强救灾装备与设施建设,救 灾预案制定法制化,健全灾情信息公告与发布,完善紧急救援机制,严格救灾款物使用与监督等救灾法 立法中的重大问题,并提出了相应的立法对策建议。