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Preface -- Part I: Introduction -- Group decision making -- Consensus reaching process -- Part II: Consensus models with the minimum adjustments and aggregation operators -- Minimum adjustments consensus models -- Maximum expert consensus models -- Part III: Consensus in the multiple attribute group decision making -- Consensus rule I: minimizing the distance between original and adjusted preferences -- Consensus rule II: minimizing the number of adjusted preference values -- Interactive multiple attribute consensus framework to support consensus reaching -- Part IV: Consensus in the group decision making with preference relations -- Individual consistency issues in preference relations -- Consensus framework with minimum adjustments to integrate the individual consistency -- Part V: Consensus in the linguistic group decision making -- Linguistic consensus model with minimum adjustments -- Minimizing adjusted simple terms in the hesitant linguistic consensus reaching -- Part VI: Simulation experiments and comparison analysis -- Simulation experiments and comparison analysis -- Appendix.

Achieving sustainable development is a major challenge for a post‐disaster community. This paper studies development issues in a post‐disaster community from a systemic perspective and discusses the reconstruction requirements for a sustainable, resilient, low‐carbon community. A meta‐synthesis approach to low‐carbon reconstruction is proposed, which has three integrated components; systems thinking, a systemic framework and intervention strategies. Using this approach, the community capital decreased in the disaster is able to achieve sustainable development leading to the development of a low‐carbon, well organized community. Empirical research from the Guangyuan case study in post‐Wenchuan earthquake is presented. The results from this research verify the effectiveness of a low‐carbon reconstruction approach for post‐disaster communities in an under‐developed region. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Purpose
– External assistance is often urgently required when an area is struck by a catastrophe. Central government-oriented aid (CGA), national non-governmental organizations aid (NNA), and international humanitarian aid (IHA) are three typical aid models, and national counterpart aid (NCA) is an innovative model for post-Wenchuan earthquake recovery and reconstruction (PWERR). The purpose of this paper is to make a comparative study of the aid models in order to develop recommendations on external assistance for better post-disaster recovery and reconstruction (PDRR).


Design/methodology/approach
– This study was performed in three steps: a case study on the NCA model during the PWERR; a documentary research on the CGA, NNA and IHA models; and a comparative analysis of the four models.


Findings
– The results of the comparative study show that the NCA model is more efficient and effective than the other three typical aid models. However it must be based on the premise of a centralized government.


Practical implications
– The NCA model contributes to disaster management in a developing country context. It develops a viable model for developing countries in coping with the catastrophe, can enhance their ability for domestic self-assistance, and has reference to the construction of national integrated disaster management systems.


Originality/value
– This paper empirically researches the innovative NCA model, and compares it with commonly used aid models for the PDRR. Although it is a Chinese experience, the systematic inter-governmental collaboration of the NCA model has reference to other countries in disaster management.

Our aim was to explore the effect of social support on the level of survivors' psychological stress after the Wenchuan earthquake in China on 12 May 2008. We collected data in a survey of a cross-sectional sample of 2,080 individuals living in Sichuan and Shanxi provinces 1 year after
the earthquake. The Social Support Rating Scale (Xiao, 1999) and psychological stress items were used in compiling the questionnaire. Results indicated that, compared with other groups, male survivors with a higher level of education, a higher level of income, and less serious exposure to
the earthquake suffered the least psychological stress. Level of social support was related to level of psychological stress in that greater social support had a positive effect on level of psychological stress and demographic characteristics were also related to level of psychological stress.