Disaster Relief as a Political Tool: Analysing Indian and Chinese Responses after the Nepal Earthquakes

Chand, Bibek

doi:10.1080/09700161.2017.1377893

Cited by 17 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Moreover, a significant proportion of the population not only recovered well from the earthquake but also improved their overall quality of life, which are in line with the positive impacts of natural disaster in the longer term found in existing literature [56,57]. In the case of Nepal, the decentralized administrative structure with newly elected local to central governments under the new Constitution of Nepal in 2015 [58], the community-led owner-driven reconstruction, social inclusion and participation [59,60], and the donor community played crucial roles in these achievements [24,61].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

“…As the Sendai Framework for DRR stipulates the new paradigm of "building back better" [15], disasters can provide opportunities for building better private and public infrastructures, and upgrading local socioeconomic structures that contribute to the sustainable development of the affected areas. Immediately after the 2015 Nepal earthquake, more than 33 countries sent rescue teams and dozens of international humanitarian organizations provided various forms of assistance, spending over USD2 billion within a few weeks of the earthquakes (i.e., about one-fifth of the governmental budget of Nepal in the fiscal year 2016/17) and pledged USD 4.4 billion for reconstruction, which is about one-third of 2016/2017 national Gross Domestic Product [23,24]. Even though it is difficult to estimate the amount of private contributions, it could be much larger than that of the donor agencies for a number of reasons.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Progress after the 2015 Nepal Earthquake: Evidence from Two Household Surveys in One of the Hardest-Hit Mountain Villages

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Nepal was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on 25 April 2015, followed by numerous aftershocks, including a 6.8 magnitude earthquake on 26 April and a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on 12 May. Using two household surveys of a panel of 377 households conducted in February 2016 and March 2020 in one of the hardest-hit mountain villages, we found that most of the households recovered well, having better housing, increased income, improved awareness about disaster risk, and better infrastructure facilities than before the earthquake. Notably, the poverty headcount index reduced by 16% from 2016 to 2020, and more than 90% of the households reconstructed into earthquake-resistant houses with financial and technical support, mainly, from the government. The village has increased the quality and length of rural roads; there is also wider coverage of clean water supply and better functioning school buildings and hospitals. Similarly, the subjective well-being of the people, gauged using the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ), has also increased. These aspects combined indicate improved community resilience and the sustainable development of the village. However, the progress differs significantly across gender, caste/ethnic as well as income groups, which calls for inclusive reconstruction and recovery policies as well as disaster risk reduction (DRR) frameworks at a local level to contribute to community resilience and sustainable mountain development.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Progress after the 2015 Nepal Earthquake: Evidence from Two Household Surveys in One of the Hardest-Hit Mountain Villages

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although the actual implementation of the massive reconstruction has been painfully slow because of both engineering difficulties and the political incompetence of the Nepali government, the Chinese government has shown a strong commitment to the program and has been pushing it forward with extra financial and political inputs. This was partially linked with China's ambition to promote the BRI in Nepal, partly due to the geopolitical relevance of the postdisaster reconstruction against the background of intensified competition between China and India in their influence over Nepal (Biswas, 2015;Singh and Shah, 2016;Chand, 2017). In President Xi Jinping's first state visit to Nepal in 2019, post-earthquake reconstruction was reassured as one of the pivotal programs in the US$483 million assistance package pledged by the Chinese top leader.…”

Section: The Gorkha Earthquake: a New Milestone And Multiple Breakthroughsmentioning

confidence: 99%

China’s evolving humanitarian diplomacy: Evidence from China’s disaster-related aid to Nepal

Lin

2021

Asian Journal of Comparative Politics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Engaging in disaster relief and, more recently, post-disaster reconstruction in developing countries with critical geoeconomic and geopolitical interests has become an increasingly regular and institutionalized component of China’s evolving humanitarian diplomacy over the past decade. Drawn upon novel evidence from China’s growing disaster-related humanitarian assistance to Nepal and unprecedented engagement in Nepal’s long-term post-earthquake rebuild since 2015, this article explores the dynamics behind China’s transforming humanitarian diplomacy. The findings of this article suggest that: 1) geopolitical and geoeconomic interests, represented by the Belt-and-Road Initiative, serve as a critical driver for the development of China’s bilateral partnership with other countries in the disaster sector; 2) long-term cooperation with underdeveloped countries like Nepal provides China, both government and non-state actors (NSAs), with an effective channel to engage with the international humanitarian community and to internalize humanitarian norms; 3) although humanitarian missions remain contingent and instrumental in China’s international relations, they are laying the foundations for a specialized humanitarian policy area with more relevant normative assets, more professional actors, and more sophisticated institutions; 4) NSAs, represented by private foundations and civil NGOs, have played active roles in the state-dominant cooperation in disaster management. This article also suggests that intensified geopolitical confrontations, such as military clashes between India and China along their disputed borders over the past year, would lead to a high degree of politicization of humanitarian missions and partnerships counter-conducive to humanitarian goals.

show abstract

“…Both countries have been categorized into the group of emerging powers that challenge the existing liberal order and cooperated in instances related to issues like the responsibility to protect and intervention (Dunne and Teitt 2015 ). However, geopolitical considerations prompt competition between the two countries in their aid activities as in the relief efforts after the Nepal earthquake in 2015 (Chand 2017 ). Hence, the changing geopolitical dynamics at global and regional levels are a major factor that impact humanitarian reform.…”

Section: Trends and Issues In The Humanitarian Sectormentioning

confidence: 99%

The Evolving Humanitarian Landscape: Rise of the Asia–Pacific Region

Cook

Gong

2021

Humanitarianism in the Asia-Pacific

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This collection offers insights of the international humanitarian system from within the Asia–Pacific. It adds to the conversation on reforming the global humanitarian system by providing the space to share perspectives of what constitutes humanitarian action from our place in the world. This collection considers what constitutes humanitarianism in the Asia–Pacific, and how it shapes policy and practice in the region and globally. The authors in this collection answer these questions by focusing on a range of issues from national to sectoral perspectives to relations between ‘traditional’ and ‘emerging’ players. The authors conclude that the dynamics of the humanitarian system from the perspectives of the Asia–Pacific are rooted in their localized experiences and built outwards. The first significant trend is that understandings of humanitarianism the Asia–Pacific are primarily shaped by the experience of disasters at home. Second, national governments play a dominant role in humanitarian affairs in the region. Finally, the humanitarian landscape in the Asia–Pacific constitutes a diverse yet under-appreciated set of actors.

show abstract

Disaster Relief as a Political Tool: Analysing Indian and Chinese Responses after the Nepal Earthquakes

Cited by 17 publications

References 0 publications

Progress after the 2015 Nepal Earthquake: Evidence from Two Household Surveys in One of the Hardest-Hit Mountain Villages

Progress after the 2015 Nepal Earthquake: Evidence from Two Household Surveys in One of the Hardest-Hit Mountain Villages

China’s evolving humanitarian diplomacy: Evidence from China’s disaster-related aid to Nepal

The Evolving Humanitarian Landscape: Rise of the Asia–Pacific Region

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About