| Summary: | In the context of risk society, public administration is facing more complex
circumstances, which will inevitably call for an overall restructuring. In
the dimension of circumstances, extreme disasters, transboundary crisis
and emerging risks create the complex context of public administration. In
the dimension of structure, the original structure of public administration
still exists but its mode of operation is subject to change. In the meantime,
the adaptation to complex scenarios of potential risk society will bring
innovations to the structure of public administration so that the structure can
develop from a hierarchical mode to a network mode on the whole. In the
dimension of process, driven by shifts between order and chaos within the
social system, public administration will also undergo frequent shifts between
routine administration and emergency management. The core of public
administration in the context of risk society is its emergency management,
which needs to strike a balance between security and development at the
value goal level. As to institutional design, emergency management should
be characteristic of an all-hazards approach, multi-organization participation,
whole-process management and overall adaptive management. Both the
theory and the practice of public administration in China need to be reviewed
to address challenges of risk society and explore a new approach that is
suitable for China’s political situation and can be included into our global risk
society governance.
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