Governing the post-disaster recovery network in Nepal: Organizational challenges of public managers

Abstract

Governing the network of public, private, and non-governmental organizations is increasingly becoming the standard practice to ensure effective post-disaster recovery and reconstruction processes and outcomes. While prior studies have discussed different challenges in network settings, few studies have examined the challenges faced by public managers who steer post-disaster recovery networks. Drawing on network governance and organizational theory and using 81 semi-structured interviews, we revealed three major challenges of the Nepal Reconstruction Authority's (NRA) public officers in managing the recovery network involving diverse stakeholders. First, national governments frequently divided and merged the fragmented and centralized organizational structure of NRA which added barriers to NRA officers' network management practices. Second, national governments directly controlled the NRA's access to disaster finances and human resources and influenced the personnel management of the NRA through the recruitment and dismissal of CEOs, executives, and employees. Third, stringent bureaucratic rules and practices impacted the organizational flexibility of NRA. Based on the findings that show the influence of national governments and bureaucracies on the organizational dimensions and public offices of the NRA, we argue the centralization of post-disaster governance in national governments and bureaucracies–rather than in the NRA.