IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/wdevel/v137y2021ics0305750x20302552.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Responding to COVID-19: Community volunteerism and coproduction in China

Author

Listed:
  • Miao, Qing
  • Schwarz, Susan
  • Schwarz, Gary

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic created a critical need for citizen volunteers working with government to protect public health and to augment overwhelmed public services. Our research examines the crucial role of community volunteers and their effective deployment during a crisis. We analyze individual and collaborative service activities based on usage data from 85,699 COVID-19 volunteers gathered through China’s leading digital volunteering platform, as well as a survey conducted among a sample of 2,270 of these COVID-19 volunteers using the platform and interviews with 14 civil society leaders in charge of coordinating service activities. Several results emerge: the value of collaboration among local citizens, civil society including community-based groups, and regional government to fill gaps in public services; the key role of experienced local volunteers, who rapidly shifted to COVID-19 from other causes as the pandemic peaked; and an example of state-led coproduction based on long-term relationships. Our analysis provides insight into the role of volunteerism and coproduction in China's response to the pandemic, laying groundwork for future research. The findings can help support the response to COVID-19 and future crises by more effectively leveraging human capital and technology in community service delivery.

Suggested Citation

  • Miao, Qing & Schwarz, Susan & Schwarz, Gary, 2021. "Responding to COVID-19: Community volunteerism and coproduction in China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:137:y:2021:i:c:s0305750x20302552
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105128
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X20302552
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105128?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Christopher M. Weible & Daniel Nohrstedt & Paul Cairney & David P. Carter & Deserai A. Crow & Anna P. Durnová & Tanya Heikkila & Karin Ingold & Allan McConnell & Diane Stone, 2020. "COVID-19 and the policy sciences: initial reactions and perspectives," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 53(2), pages 225-241, June.
    2. Lam, Wai Fung, 1996. "Institutional design of public agencies and coproduction: A study of irrigation associations in Taiwan," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 24(6), pages 1039-1054, June.
    3. Ostrom, Elinor, 1996. "Crossing the great divide: Coproduction, synergy, and development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 24(6), pages 1073-1087, June.
    4. Anuradha Joshi & Mick Moore, 2004. "Institutionalised Co-production: Unorthodox Public Service Delivery in Challenging Environments," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(4), pages 31-49.
    5. Goodwin, Geoff, 2019. "The problem and promise of coproduction: Politics, history, and autonomy," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 501-513.
    6. Veiko Lember & Taco Brandsen & Piret Tõnurist, 2019. "The potential impacts of digital technologies on co-production and co-creation," Public Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(11), pages 1665-1686, November.
    7. McGranahan, Gordon, 2015. "Realizing the Right to Sanitation in Deprived Urban Communities: Meeting the Challenges of Collective Action, Coproduction, Affordability, and Housing Tenure," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 242-253.
    8. Blythe McLennan & Joshua Whittaker & John Handmer, 2016. "The changing landscape of disaster volunteering: opportunities, responses and gaps in Australia," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 84(3), pages 2031-2048, December.
    9. Tierney, Annika & Boodoosingh, Ramona, 2020. "Challenges to NGOs’ ability to bid for funding due to the repatriation of volunteers: The case of Samoa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    10. Oldekop, Johan A. & Horner, Rory & Hulme, David & Adhikari, Roshan & Agarwal, Bina & Alford, Matthew & Bakewell, Oliver & Banks, Nicola & Barrientos, Stephanie & Bastia, Tanja & Bebbington, Anthony J., 2020. "COVID-19 and the case for global development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    11. Moreno, Juan M. & Noguchi, Lori M. & Harder, Marie K., 2017. "Understanding the Process of Community Capacity-Building: A Case Study of Two Programs in Yunnan Province, China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 122-137.
    12. van Eijk & Steen, 2014. "Why People Co-Produce: Analysing citizens' perceptions on co-planning engagement in health care services," Public Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(3), pages 358-382, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Katona, Márton & Petrovics, Nándor, 2021. "Válság és együttműködés. A koronavírus-járvány okozta lehetséges intézményi változások és a kooperatív közszolgáltatások [Crisis and cooperation: possible institutional changes caused by the corona," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(1), pages 76-95.
    2. María J. Ibáñez & Maribel Guerrero & Claudia Yáñez-Valdés & Sebastián Barros-Celume, 2022. "Digital social entrepreneurship: the N-Helix response to stakeholders’ COVID-19 needs," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 47(2), pages 556-579, April.
    3. Yifan Zhong & Yameng Li & Jian Ding & Yiyi Liao, 2021. "Risk Management: Exploring Emerging Human Resource Issues during the COVID-19 Pandemic," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-23, May.
    4. Anping Zhang & Ke Zhang & Wanda Li & Yue Wang & Yang Li & Lin Zhang, 2022. "Optimising self-organised volunteer efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-12, December.
    5. Wenmin Wu & Chien-Chiang Lee & Wenwu Xing & Shan-Ju Ho, 2021. "The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on Chinese-listed tourism stocks," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 7(1), pages 1-18, December.
    6. Weibin Wang & Zeyu Xia, 2023. "Study of COVID-19 Epidemic Control Capability and Emergency Management Strategy Based on Optimized SEIR Model," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-31, January.
    7. Georgios Lazaridis & Dimitris Panaretos & Antonia Matalas, 2022. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Food-Related Behaviour of Tourists Visiting Greece," Tourism and Hospitality, MDPI, vol. 3(4), pages 1-22, September.
    8. Yang Zhang & Su Zhang & Fu-Chieh Hsu, 2023. "Crisis Management Performance of Upscale Hotels in the Greater Bay Area, China: A Comparative Study in a Complex Institutional Situation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-24, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mary S. Mangai & Michiel S. Vries, 2019. "You Just Have to Ask Coproduction of Primary Healthcare in Ghana and Nigeria," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 273-291, June.
    2. García-Mollá, Marta & Ortega-Reig, Mar & Boelens, Rutgerd & Sanchis-Ibor, Carles, 2020. "Hybridizing the commons. Privatizing and outsourcing collective irrigation management after technological change in Spain," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    3. Goodwin, Geoff, 2019. "The problem and promise of coproduction: Politics, history, and autonomy," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 501-513.
    4. McMullin, Caitlin, 2018. "Co-production and the third sector: A comparative study of England and France," Thesis Commons 578d3, Center for Open Science.
    5. Amengual, Matthew, 2010. "Complementary Labor Regulation: The Uncoordinated Combination of State and Private Regulators in the Dominican Republic," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 405-414, March.
    6. Akaateba, Millicent Awialie & Huang, Huang & Adumpo, Emile Akangoa, 2018. "Between co-production and institutional hybridity in land delivery: Insights from local planning practice in peri-urban Tamale, Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 215-226.
    7. Indranil De & Rooba Hasan & Mubashshir Iqbal, 2022. "Natural Treatment Systems and Importance of Social Cost Benefit Analysis in Developing Countries: A Critical Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-15, March.
    8. Rodrigo Canales, 2011. "Rule bending, sociological citizenship, and organizational contestation in microfinance," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 5(1), pages 90-117, March.
    9. Holstenkamp, Lars, 2019. "What do we know about cooperative sustainable electrification in the global South? A synthesis of the literature and refined social-ecological systems framework," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 307-320.
    10. McGranahan, Gordon & Mitlin, Diana, 2016. "Learning from Sustained Success: How Community-Driven Initiatives to Improve Urban Sanitation Can Meet the Challenges," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 307-317.
    11. Jinpeng Wu & Jing Xiong, 2022. "How Governance Tools Facilitate Citizen Co-Production Behavior in Urban Community Micro-Regeneration: Evidence from Shanghai," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-18, August.
    12. Giuseppe Cappiello & Paola Garrone & Paolo Nardi, 2013. "Cooperation in the initial stages of infrastructure projects: a conceptual model and surv ey of Italian utility managers," ECONOMICS AND POLICY OF ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2013(1), pages 41-68.
    13. Li, Huafang, 2019. "Communication for Coproduction: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda," OSF Preprints y4q9v, Center for Open Science.
    14. Francesca Galli & Gianluca Brunori & Francesco Di Iacovo & Silvia Innocenti, 2014. "Co-Producing Sustainability: Involving Parents and Civil Society in the Governance of School Meal Services. A Case Study from Pisa, Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-24, March.
    15. Samuel Bowles & Herbert Gintis, 2002. "Social Capital and Community Governance," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 112(483), pages 419-436, November.
    16. Weinberger, Katinka & Jutting, Johannes Paul, 2001. "Women's Participation in Local Organizations: Conditions and Constraints," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 29(8), pages 1391-1404, August.
    17. Sanandaji, Tino & Lakomaa, Erik, 2016. "Care, Commons and Entrepreneurship," SSE Working Paper Series in Economic History 2016:2, Stockholm School of Economics.
    18. Ackerman, John, 2004. "Co-Governance for Accountability: Beyond "Exit" and "Voice"," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 447-463, March.
    19. Marina Della Giusta, 2010. "Social Capital and Economic Development," Economics Discussion Papers em-dp2010-02, Department of Economics, University of Reading.
    20. Pwint Kay Khine & Jianing Mi & Raza Shahid, 2021. "A Comparative Analysis of Co-Production in Public Services," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-13, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:137:y:2021:i:c:s0305750x20302552. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/worlddev .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.