Collaboration Mechanisms of Taiwan Nonprofit Organizations in Disaster Relief Efforts: Drawing Lessons from the Wenchuan Earthquake and Typhoon Morakot

Abstract

Participation of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) is important in emergency management because NPOs often work in conjunction with governments to offer assistance and resources in the emergency management process. NPO participation in disaster relief efforts is a valuable experience for public officials and practitioners, but research investigating NPOs’ experiences in disaster relief efforts is limited. This study examines Taiwan’s NPO collaboration mechanisms during disaster relief efforts and specifically examines the lessons drawn from two major catastrophes by focusing on the opinions of NPO managers in the 88 Flooding Service Alliance who joined the disaster relief operation for the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake in China and 2009 Typhoon Morakot in Taiwan. The vital strategies and factors that contributed to successful NPO collaborations in disaster relief operations were determined through a survey on NPOs’ strategies for resource sharing and service integration and semi-structured interviews with 19 NPO managers. The findings indicate that NPO engagement in disaster services was crucial for the relief efforts of the two disaster events, and that long-term disaster service alliances are effective mechanisms for emergency collaboration in relief work.

Learning and Collaboration during Crisis: A Novel University-Community Partnership to Manufacture Medical Personal Protective Equipment

“…We define collaboration as the act of working together on a shared initiative or problem. In past research on collaboration, specifically on collaborative governance, researchers have theorized the components of collaboration, emphasizing behaviors such as “sharing, participation, cooperation, communication, and agreement based on compromises, trust, mutual understanding, and sharing of information and resources” ([ 15 ], p. 4). The researchers describe the importance of positive interactions between collaborators in the dynamic and uncertain environments that often necessitate new collaborations.…”

Impact of Disaster on Economic Performance of ASEAN-9: Does Philanthropy Help?

“…Limited previous studies have explored the role of philanthropy in lessening the negative impact of disasters on the economy. For example, Wu and Chang (2018) found an important role of non-profit organizations (NPOs) participation in disaster relief in two major catastrophes of the 2008 Earthquake in Wenchuan, China and 2009 Typhoon in Morakot, Taiwan. Their engagements in short-and long-term disaster services were crucial to mitigate immediate and long-term disaster risks to the economy.…”