Behavior of Rural Victims and Local Government during Post-Disaster Reconstruction: Agent-Based Simulation

Abstract

Concentrated rural settlement (CRS) was used for housing reconstruction in Sichuan Province, China, after the Wenchuan earthquake. Although CRS is claimed to provide enhanced infrastructure and public services, a sufficient number of farmers should be involved to reduce costs. Existing studies on CRS reconstruction overlook potential conflicts during reconstruction, which may hinder CRS reconstruction. This study explores the collective behaviors of rural victims and the local government in the process of CRS reconstruction. Evolutionary game analysis and agent-based simulation are applied to identify the evolutionary stable strategy for rural victims and the local government. Findings of this study can facilitate the local government in improving post-disaster recovery in terms of CRS. It can also provide an alternative method for investigating the behaviors of stakeholders during resettlement after disasters in other regions and countries.