Factors Influencing Emergency Management Performance in China’s Prismatic County-Level Governance

Emergency management performance (EMP) at the county level in China plays a critical role in linking counties to serve as a bridge between urban and rural areas. This study explores the factors that influence EMP within China’s county-level governance by applying Riggs’ administrative ecology theory. The study examines the impact of normative constraints, favor politics, cooperative politics, and charismatic politics directly on EMP collectively and individually. This study analyzes empirical data using structural equation modeling from Jiangsu Province, which includes a survey of 300 emergency management personnel. The results show that normative constraints have the most significant positive influence on EMP, followed by charismatic politics, cooperative politics, and favor politics. The study highlights the mixed practices of traditional and modern administrative contexts, with the “prismatic” administrative model offering an adaptive governance approach during China’s societal transition. This study advances the theoretical understanding of transitional governance systems and provides practical recommendations for policymakers to improve EMP in county-level governance frameworks.