A Comparison of China’s Risk Communication in Response to SARS and H7N9 Using Principles Drawn From International Practice

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 587-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wuqi Qiu ◽  
Cordia Chu ◽  
Xiaohui Hou ◽  
Shannon Rutherford ◽  
Bin Zhu ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundChina’s emergency management of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was heavily criticized, whereas the H7N9 response was praised by the international community.AimsThe aims of this study were to examine and compare the strengths and weaknesses of risk communication conducted in response to SARS and H7N9 and their associated social impacts on affected communities in China.MethodA qualitative comparative case study approach was employed in the present study, using a set of 8 risk communication principles selected from international literature to suit the Chinese context for the comparative analysis of emergency responses of SARS and H7N9.ResultsThe study found significant differences in the risk communication conducted in the 2 cases. The SARS outbreak fully exposed China’s lack of experience in public health risk communication. By contrast, the Chinese government’s risk communication strategies had improved significantly during the H7N9 outbreak.DiscussionTrust is the basis for communication. Maintaining an open and honest attitude and actively engaging stakeholders to address their risk information needs will serve to build trust and facilitate multi-sector collaborations in dealing with a public health crisis.ConclusionsFrom SARS to H7N9, risk communication practices in China greatly improved, which, in turn, lessened adverse social impacts and improved outcomes in emergency management of public health crises. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:587–598)

2020 ◽  
pp. 146879412093439
Author(s):  
Samantha Russo ◽  
Kylie Hissa ◽  
Brenda Murphy ◽  
Bryce Gunson

Photovoice aims to enable people to record and reflect their community’s strengths and challenges, to encourage group dialogue and knowledge about important issues through group discussions and to inform policymaking. While primarily utilized in the health field, an emerging area of focus is to use photovoice in an emergency management or climate change context. Through work conducted in two rural areas recovering from natural disasters in Ontario, Canada, this research, focused on critical infrastructure disaster recovery, underscores the value of undertaking a comparative case-study approach and offers a detailed reporting of the fieldwork methodology. We argue that photovoice has the potential to solicit poorly understood rural and Indigenous community member perspectives, thereby augmenting locally relevant, place-based information and, ideally, empowering voices that are often under-represented in municipal and provincial decision-making processes. We offer lessons learned related to the project’s processes and outcomes, and outline the applicability of photovoice for emergency management and climate change research.


2021 ◽  
pp. 097300522199143
Author(s):  
Sneha Kumari ◽  
Nisha Bharti ◽  
K. K. Tripathy

Indian agriculture has always been less profitable. Several factors contribute to the low profitability in agriculture, but less value addition, weak value chain system and weak market linkage are some of the most important factors. Producer companies are helping small farmers to emerge in the market. The farmer producer organisations (FPOs) linked with the producer companies are the best example of collective actions. The collective actions for the agriculture value chain (AVC) have resulted in a decrease in the cost and an increase in revenue. FPO and producer company find a good place in the underpinning theory of collective action theory. This study examines various successful examples of strengthening AVC through cooperatives and tried to identify various factors responsible for the success of these collectives. This study has adopted a case study approach. Three successful cases, that is, Vasundhara Agriculture Horticulture Producer Company Ltd: a multi-state FPO, Abhinav Farms Club and Sahyadri Farmer Producer Company have been selected for the case study based on their successful interventions for strengthening the agriculture value chain. Primary and secondary data has been collected through telephonic interviews from the board of directors, chairman and the members of the FPO. Both primary and secondary data have been collected to compare the three cases for AVC models. The data has been analysed using a comparative case study approach. The parameters of AVC have been identified using the Delphi technique. The study has found that collective actions have helped the farmers to strengthen the agriculture value chain. The study also concluded that leadership played an important role in defining the success of the FPOs. The study brings out future directions to excel in AVC through collectives.


2014 ◽  
Vol 129 (6_suppl4) ◽  
pp. 87-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne L. Dunlop ◽  
Kristi M. Logue ◽  
Alexander P. Isakov

Objective. Using comparative analysis, we examined the factors that influence the engagement of academic institutions in community disaster response. Methods. We identified colleges and universities located in counties affected by four Federal Emergency Management Agency-declared disasters (Kentucky ice storms, Hurricanes Ike and Gustav, California wildfires, and the Columbia space shuttle disintegration) and performed key informant interviews with officials from public health, emergency management, and academic institutions in those counties. We used a comparative case study approach to explore particular resources provided by academic institutions, processes for engagement, and reasons for engagement or lack thereof in the community disaster response. Results. Academic institutions contribute a broad range of resources to community disaster response. Their involvement and the extent of their engagement is variable and influenced by ( 1) their resources, ( 2) preexisting relationships with public health and emergency management organizations, ( 3) the structure and organizational placement of the school's disaster planning and response office, and ( 4) perceptions of liability and lines of authority. Facilitators of engagement include ( 1) the availability of faculty expertise or special training programs, ( 2) academic staff presence on public health and emergency management planning boards, ( 3) faculty contracts and student practica, ( 4) incident command system or emergency operations training of academic staff, and ( 5) the existence of mutual aid or memoranda of agreements. Conclusion. While a range of relationships exist between academic institutions that engage with public health and emergency management agencies in community disaster response, recurrent win-win themes include co-appointed faculty and staff; field experience opportunities for students; and shared planning and training for academic, public health, and emergency management personnel.


Author(s):  
Ardian Ardian

This article describes about the analysis of  the understanding of institutions of broadcasting radios in west sumatera to fulfill the need of social information. This research is based from the phenomenon in the field showing the decrease of social interest in listening to a radio closed by the modernization of mass communication.  To reveal the reality in the field, this research used constructive paradigm, qualitative methods and case study approach. The research data was collected by interviewing 5 key informen and documentation study. Based on the result of analysis in the field in completing the need of social information, the researcher concluded as followed: (1) Radios in West Sumatera comprehend the 3 functions of communication in fulfilling social information needs: (a) information, (b) social learning, and (c) entertainment. That was seen from the constructions of the broadcasting programs produced; (2) In the effort of fulfilling the need of information, radios conduct surveys, observations and researches of the market that need information; and (3) Radio broadcasting board of West Sumatera comprehends that in information dissemination KPID of West Sumatera is the regulator taking roll in supervising the broadcasting programs and any kinds of violations than by the radios. 


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel H. de Vries ◽  
John Kinsman ◽  
Judit Takacs ◽  
Svetla Tsolova ◽  
Massimo Ciotti

Abstract Background: This paper describes a participatory methodology that supports investigation of the collaboration between communities affected by infectious disease outbreak events and relevant official institutions. The core principle underlying the methodology is the recognition that synergistic relationships, characterised by mutual trust and respect, between affected communities and official institutions provide the most effective means of addressing outbreak situations. Methods: The methodological approach and lessons learned were derived from four qualitative case studies including (i) two tick-borne disease events: Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever in Spain, and tick-borne encephalitis in the Netherlands (2016); and (ii) two outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis (norovirus in Iceland, 2017, and verocytotoxin-producingEscherichia coli [VTEC] in Ireland, 2018). These studies were conducted in collaboration with the respective national public health authorities in the affected countries by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Results: An after-event qualitative case study approach was taken using mixed methods. Lessons highlight the critical importance of collaborating with national focal points during preparation and planning, and interviewer reflexivity during fieldwork. Field work for each case study was conducted over one working week, which although limiting the number of individuals and institutions involved, still allowed for rich data collection due to the close collaboration with local authorities. The analysis focused on the specific actions undertaken by the participating countries’ public health and other authorities in relation to community engagement, as well as the view from the perspective of the community. Conclusions: The overall objective of the assessment to identify synergies between institutional decision-making bodies and community actors and networks before, during and after an outbreak response to a given public health emergency. The methodology is generic and could be applied to a range of public health emergencies, zoonotic or otherwise. The methodology emphasises reflexivity among fieldworkers, a relatively short time needed for data collection, potential generalisability of findings, insider-outsider perspectives, politically sensitive findings, and how to deal with ethical and language issues.


Author(s):  
Kate Vieira

This chapter tells the story of the research. It first lays out the research question: How do transnational families’ experiences with migration-driven literacy learning shift across their lifespans in relation to changing political borders, economic circumstances, and technologies? It then describes the field sites in which the question was addressed: Latvia, Brazil, and the United States. Next, it outlines the reasoning behind the author’s methodological choices. Specifically, it elaborates on the author’s use of a comparative case study approach to develop the book’s central concept, “migration-driven literacy learning.” In doing so, the chapter describes how the project entailed both “reasearching across lives” and “researching across continents.” Finally, it offers a brief overview of the rest of the book.


2020 ◽  
Vol 01 (01) ◽  
pp. 59-72
Author(s):  
Shengjie Pan ◽  
Huey Wen Lim ◽  
Na Xiao ◽  
Tao Wang ◽  
Dongping Fang

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant economic and social impacts worldwide and revealed the importance and urgency of urban resilience enhancement. To learn the lessons from this pandemic, this study undertook a case study in Wuhan City, which was the first city in China where the outbreak was declared, and analyzed the process of its response to the pandemic. Based on the theory of emergency management, this study identified four stages of the emergency management process and conducted an in-depth analysis of the experience gained at each stage from the perspective of urban resilience. Then, this study evaluated the level of urban resilience of Wuhan City, and put forward suggestions for enhancement of the emergency system of China. The findings provided important revelation for other cities to cope with major disasters in the future.


2011 ◽  
Vol 206 ◽  
pp. 331-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanxin Li

AbstractChina promulgated the Open Government Information Decree and Measures of Environmental Information Disclosure (Trial) in 2007, but the Pollution Information Transparency Index revealed the poor implementation of disclosing environmental information in 113 cities in 2008. Adopting a comparative case study approach, this article uses a combination of the “cultural roots” and “webs of dialogue” analytical frameworks to analyse the pilot environmental information disclosure programmes in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province, and Hohhot, Inner Mongolia from 1999 to 2000. It finds that when the programme was top-down, the commitment, perception and resources of leadership determined its success and nondisclosure did not receive any public attention. However, when environmental NGOs are actively engaged, pressure can be from the bottom up, webs of dialogue can be established, and the public can be empowered to seek and use environmental information actively in development decision-making and redressing pollution harms.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Audrey Therese Hinder

<p>While more Pacific students are participating in tertiary education, there is little research on the information behaviour of this group in the academic library. As the primary function of the academic library is to support the learning needs of the student community, it is of interest to investigate how Pacific students use libraries and information resources available to them during their course of study.  Using a qualitative case study approach, the aim of this study is to begin to understand Pacific students’ experiences of the library at Whitireia Community Polytechnic. This study investigates how they use the library, their perceptions of the library and how it may contribute to their academic success.  Key findings of this study show that students generally had a positive experience of the library, using it not just as an information centre but also as a cultural centre. The library was a place for them to find information, a place for them to study and a place for them to meet other Pacific students and classmates whom they worked and studied with in the library. Though this group of participants did not feel that there were any significant cultural barriers to their use of the library, the findings reveal some cultural factors that may affect Pacific students’ use of the library.  Though this is a small case study, it provides an understanding of the experience of this group of Pacific students in an academic library. Understanding the information needs and information – seeking behaviour of this group will enable library and academic staff to develop or improve appropriate services so that student learning outcomes may also be improved.</p>


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