Exploring the practice of co-production as a habitualised response to problematic situations : a qualitative study of community recovery in Christchurch, New Zealand

Abstract

The frequency and intensity of catastrophic natural disasters are increasingly challenging
local communities. Following disasters, coordination and cooperation between different
individuals and organisations are crucial to successfully redeveloping disaster-affected
communities. Previous research suggest that the practice of co-production encourages citizen
initiatives by identifying their own needs and utilising their resources during recovery,
resulting in the increase in community satisfaction with the recovery processes and outcomes.
However, there have been few empirical studies on specific mechanisms that facilitate the
practice of co-production.

Drawing on the pragmatist theory of action (Strauss, 1993), this study aimed to understand
how different individual citizens co-produce desired outcomes together in rebuilding their
communities. This study adopted a qualitative approach to gain insights into the practice of
co-production through the daily-lived accounts of individual citizens’ experience during post-disaster
recovery. Christchurch, New Zealand, was selected as the study site, an area devastated by the
2011 earthquake, resulting in significant physical and psychological damage in the community.

Date of Award	2020
Original language	English
Supervisor	Hitomi Nakanishi (Supervisor), Sora Park (Supervisor), Ben Freyens (Supervisor) & Kate Holland (Supervisor)