The dynamic capabilities of county-level government in China during the outbreak of large-scale epidemics

A study based on three cases

Bibliographic Data

ID22086251
AuthorsChangwei Wei (0000-0001-5652-600X, China University of Mining and Technology), Juan Wang (0000-0001-8330-6707, China University of Mining and Technology), Huangyue Wu (0009-0001-5910-3712, China University of Mining and Technology, corresponding author), Zuying Xu (Huaibei Normal University, corresponding author), Jiahao Zhang (0000-0002-6291-1729, China University of Mining and Technology)
Year2025
Volume13
Pages1562915-1562915
Publication date2025-04-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2025.1562915
PMID40255384
OpenAlexW4409155908
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited32

Background: After China entered the stage of normalized epidemic prevention and control, county-level government became the leading force and responsible body for prevention and control. In some counties, the epidemic was initially sporadic but later evolved into large-scale transmission. This situation posed a severe challenge to their dynamic capabilities. The dynamic capacity of county-level government largely determines the effectiveness of dealing with large-scale epidemics. Methods: This study selected three counties with a large-scale outbreak of COVID-19 in 2022 as samples for multi-case analysis, and used insight ability, integration ability, learning ability and innovation ability as dimensions for comparative analysis. Data and information were collected from the official websites of these three county-level governments using the octopus collector. Results: The dynamic capabilities of county-level government are related to the results of large-scale epidemic prevention and control. This topic has been less explored in existing research. Compared to Si County and Linshui County, Jiutai District clearly lacks dynamic capabilities in large-scale epidemic prevention and control. The different abilities of county-level government play different roles in epidemic prevention and control. Conclusion: County-level government are at the weakest stress point in the hierarchical structure of China's power system. They are at the forefront of public crisis management playing an important role, which further increase their pressure. Enhancing the dynamic capabilities of county-level government can greatly help them effectively respond to crises and alleviate their vulnerability

Business · Cartography · China · Computer security · Economic growth · Economics · Environmental health · Geography · Outbreak · Computer Science · COVID-19 epidemiological studies · Disaster Management and Resilience · Medicine · Zoonotic diseases and public health