TITLE:
Building Resilience in Rural China: Governance and Policy Lessons from Flood-Prone Henan Province
AUTHORS:
Jiali Yang, Xiujuan Wang, May Chu, Shuai Wang
KEYWORDS:
Disaster Resilience, Rural Governance, Policy Mechanisms, Social Mobilization
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Service Science and Management,
Vol.19 No.2,
April
29,
2026
ABSTRACT: In an era marked by intensifying climate disasters, strengthening rural resilience has become a critical policy imperative for ensuring food security and sustainable agricultural development, as emphasized in China’s national strategic documents. This study examines the governance challenges of building disaster resilience through an in-depth case analysis of Gangxi Village in Henan Province, which experienced a rapid transition from drought to flooding in 2024. By applying a process-oriented resilience framework, we identify two core mechanisms—resilience depletion and mobilization efficacy—that shape adaptive outcomes. Our analysis reveals systemic vulnerabilities across material, organizational, and cultural dimensions and traces how pre-existing risk perception, coordination capacity during response, and post-disaster network relations critically influence resilience pathways. The study concludes with targeted policy recommendations aimed at improving multi-level governance and strengthening institutional capacity for disaster management in rural communities.