Measurements and Influencing Factors of New Rural Collective Economies’ Resilience toward Mountain Disasters in Indigent Areas: A Case Study of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, China

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

the comment is attached 

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

I thank the experts for their suggestions and I have made the following changes:
1. Clarify the objectives of this study and revise them as follows：

This study can serve as a valuable case study for informing the economic development strategies of other rural communities worldwide that are prone to natural disasters. This paper is aimed at making the following potential contributions: (1) An analytical framework is established to evaluate RRCE in poverty-eradication areas under the coercive impact of mountain disasters. (2) Recommendations are provided to enhance RRCE by addressing the existing challenges it faces in coping with mountain disasters. These insights can serve as a valuable reference for promoting sustainable economic development in rural communities, both within China and globally.

2. Description of the subject of the survey accurately

The survey process used the participatory rural appraisal (PRA) method to conduct one-on-one interviews with 51 local village leaders, and each questionnaire took approximately two hours. The content of the interviews included the basic situation of the administrative village, the development of the rural collective economies, the level of disaster threat or loss. Finally, 48 valid questionnaires were obtained.

Reviewer 2 Report

I do not feel qualified to comment on the use of the MIMIC model, as this is my first exposure to this method. That said, I needed to look at other sources to understand what a MIMIC model was; perhaps it could be explained more thoroughly. Beyond this, I have a few comments:

- I would like more information on how villages were selected. What kind of guidance did local governments give? Were these villages selected because they were the most extreme cases of vulnerability, or were they meant to represent a more typical but higher-than-average level of vulnerability? Were any ruled out for logistical, political, or other reasons?

- Does land quality matter when accounting for land assets?

- Do villages that "do not engage" in nonagricultural activities really have nothing else, or do they fall below a certain threshold of local GDP or labor participation? (Line 456)

- What are examples of "free-riding behavior" in this context? Did the authors observe any at these sites? (Line 590)

- What does institutional reform entail specifically? Are all villages in China or in the province/county expected to meet the same requirements? (Line 645)

Minor issues:

- What does "talent quality" refer to? What kinds of skills are missing? (Line 128)

- "Weak awareness" of what? (Line 128)

- What are the Three Regions and Three Prefectures? (Line 144)

- What does "abundant in labor resources" entail? A high population? A high population of young people? Relatively little outmigration to cities? Relatively high skills? Relatively low skills and low wage expectations? (Line 185)

- A citation for what constitutes "fitting well" would be help (Line 407)

- Table 7: Similar symbols are undifferentiated in the "notes" below

Author Response

With the valuable advice given by the very expert, I have made the following changes：

1.Explain the MIMIC model in  detail：

The MIMIC model is a form of structural equation used to estimate unobservable variables. In order to solve the model, it is necessary to estimate a set of joint equations, introducing cause and indicator variables, establishing a relationship between unobservable and observable variables, making it suitable to estimate unobservable resilience [48-50]. In the MIMIC model, RRCE is considered a latent variable that is related to a set of causal variables that are used to determine economic resilience on the one hand and that affect a set of observable indicator variables on the other. Thus, the MIMIC model consists of two parts, the measurement model and the structural model, which portray the impact of PVC, CPC, ADC and TFC on the RRCE and the extent to which RRCE responds to the indicator variables, respectively.

2.The basis for the selection of counties, cities and villages is described

Typical counties and cities are selected on the basis of (1) strong mountain disaster in-terference. Most of the mountain disasters in LP occur on the banks of river valleys and are distributed along the water system network. (2) The level of socio-economic de-velopment has a gradient. Jinyang County, Xide County and Puge County are the key counties for national rural revitalization, with strong policy inclination, while Mianning County, Xichang City, Dechang County and Ningnan County belong to the Anning River Basin, which is an important growth pole for economic development in LP. The basic principles followed in the selection of typical villages are (1) There have been mountain disasters or there are hidden spots of mountain disasters. (2) NRCE have different stages of development.

3.Cropland is low in the study area, with many farmers reporting less than one acre of cropland, so the amount of cropland is a better indicator of the status of cropland resources in the study area.

4.Clarify the definition of purely agricultural villages：

Villages without non-farm income from NRCE are classified as purely agricultural.

5.In the operation of cooperatives, some farmers may have a speculative mentality, believing that even if they do not participate in management, they can still receive dividend income.

In this regard, change the text to"

Villages without non-farm income from NRCE are classified as purely agricultural

"

6.The reform of the institution mainly refers to the reform of the rural property rights system, which can make the property rights of rural collective assets belong to a clear and complete power, and on the basis of mapping out the family background, through the asset folding and quantification of the shares to the farmers, the benefits will be realized to each villager, and the villagers will enjoy the fruits of the benefits of the collective economic development according to their own shares. Therefore, it needs to be practiced in rural areas.

7.Specify the "low comprehensive talent quality":

low comprehensive human quality for management and innovation

8."Weak awareness" refers to "a weak awareness of collective action among members". It has been changed in the article.

9."Three Regions and Three Prefectures"refers toDeeply impoverished regions in China.The text was changed to“Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture (LP), which is located in China, is known for its high levels of poverty”.

10.The abundance of human resources in the study area can provide sufficient labor for the development of the rural collective economy.The text was changed to“The region is rich in labour resources, providing sufficient human capital for the development of NRCE”.

11.References have been added in the appropriate places.

12.Table 7 has been revised.

Reiterating the valuable advice given by the experts.

Reviewer 3 Report

Good job, but some issues can be improved or clarified.

The clarity of the results presentation and the extent to which the conclusions align with the presented results can be enhanced. The influence of endogenous development factors on selected territories and the new rural collective economies’ resilience toward mountain disasters in indigent areas can significantly affect the results in several ways:

Economic Outcomes: Endogenous development factors such as local industries, entrepreneurship, and human capital can have a substantial impact on economic results.

Social Well-being: Factors like community engagement, social cohesion, and cultural heritage within selected territories can influence the social well-being of the population.

Infrastructure and Accessibility: The presence of infrastructure and transportation networks within specific regions can significantly affect results.

Environmental Sustainability: Endogenous development factors can also have implications for the environment. Sustainable practices, local policies, and community awareness can influence how territories manage their natural resources and mitigate environmental issues.

Innovation and Technological Advancement: The presence of research institutions, technology hubs, and innovation clusters can drive technological advancement and innovation in specific territories. This, in turn, can lead to higher productivity and economic growth.

Local Governance and Policies: Local governments and policies play a critical role in shaping the development of territories. Good governance, transparent regulations, and supportive policies can encourage investments and development, while poor governance can hinder progress.

Cultural Identity and Tourism: The unique cultural identity and heritage of a region can be a strong driver of tourism, which can significantly impact the local economy and social dynamics.

Education and Workforce Skills: The level of education and skills within a selected territory's workforce can influence employment rates, wages, and the ability of the region to adapt to changing economic conditions.

Healthcare Services: Access to healthcare services and the overall health of the population can impact productivity, quality of life, and the healthcare industry's role in the local economy.

Understanding and analyzing these endogenous development factors within selected territories is essential for results.

Author Response

Thanks to the experts for their advice. I have revised it accordingly, further clarifying the indicators in several areas, namely "Disaster prevention awareness, Human capital, Emergency response, Economic foundation, Social security, Production conditions, Technological advancement, Industrial development, Transportation accessibility".This improves the clarity of the results statement

Reviewer 4 Report

- In the Abstract please present more clearly what was the aim of the research, what methods of the research you use, and present only the most important findings. Now in the text, it is too many results.

- Use sources in the bibliography, not in the text. L51

-L576. This part is not essential. You can leave only the theoretical text you need to achieve the goal of presenting research.  The article is too long. You can cut part of the text. Just present your research.

-Please explain the factors that are influencing the resilience of rural areas. Now it is not clear. L721

- There are no RECOMMENDATIONS for central and local government. L746

- The article has a strong theoretical background but is less practical.

- As well this article can be shorter. Present only research data and conclusions

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Thanking the experts for their valuable comments, I have made the following changes：

1.Modify the abstract

The text was changed to“Economic activities in disaster-prone areas are significantly susceptible to mountain disasters, and enhancing the resilience of the new rural collective economies (RRCE) is a pressing challenge that needs to be overcome in the areas of disaster risk management and sustainable development. The target research area comprises 48 representative villages in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture (LP), an assessment framework based on the Resilience Index Measurement Analysis (RIMA) model is established to evaluate RRCE in the face of mountain disasters, and the influencing factors regarding RRCE are examined. The results show that (1) typical villages in the new rural collective economies (NRCE) have a low level of resilience.(2) Transformational capacity is the key to improving RRCE. (3)Off-farm villages exhibit the highest level of collective economic resilience, followed by diversified villages, while the lowest resilience level is observed in purely agricultural villages. (4) Ensuring talent security and institutional security are important for achieving a high level of resilience. Both of these factors significantly influence RRCE. (5) The combined influence of talent, financial, institutional, technological, and business security contributes to the diverse factors that shape RRCE. In other words, the path to achieving resilience in the new rural collective economies is characterized by multiple routes that lead to a common goal. Building on this, we propose recommendations in five key areas, namely, encouraging scientific research and innovation, improving disaster insurance coverage, strengthening the emergency protection system, facilitating collective economic development, and selecting suitable strategies to enhance resilience based on local conditions. The aim is to offer valuable insights for disaster-prone areas to enhance RRCE and realize sustainable development and rural revitalization.”

2.Unnecessary content has been removed throughout the text.

3. web source shas been deleted.

4.This paper uses the qualitative comparative analysis method to get six paths that can make the new rural collective economies realize a higher level of resilience, in which the talent security and the institutional security are the most critical influencing factors, and are reflected in the analysis of necessary conditions and group analysis. According to the test results, the consistency of talent security is 0.962, thus it can be regarded as a necessary condition for the focal outcome. For Group S1, when talent security is present, other conditions become irrelevant in realizing high levels of rural collective economic resilience. Therefore, talent security is considered both a necessary and sufficient condition for achieving high levels of resilience.

5.Since the new rural collective economy is an endogenous development process, the recommendations in this study mainly start from the villages themselves and put forward suggestions that can enhance the resilience level of the villages. Suggestions for the central and local governments are also involved, such as actively exploring the establishment of a human resources development mechanism that combines academic education, skills training and practical exercises, so as to provide specialized talents for rural development and disaster prevention and mitigation.