九二一震災已時過境遷，三三一地震災難又到來，留下給台灣全體社會的並非僅是一個夢魘，而是「災難管理」(disaster management)研究的開始，本論文根據「治理理論」(governance theory ) 與「社會資本論」(social capital perspective)探討政府在九三一救災、賑災與重建工程中所面臨之困境，並從理論層次提出如何提升政府「從難管理」之職能。本文提出一理論性主張，即災難管理是政府一項極為複雜與特殊之公共服務回應 (public service delivery)，治理理論指出政府官僚應揚棄傳統政府支配與主導性的公共行政模式，並應進入「治理典範」模型。所謂「治理典範」就是政府應與「公民社會」(civil society )合作，並形成一「伙伴關係」( partnership)，以提升政府災難管理的職能，尤其政府應積極為公民社會開創參與「災難管理」的機制，以改進民主的公共行政所面臨的民主與效率衝突的問題。本文以「災難管理」為例，結合「社會資本」(social capital) 理論所強調的信任 ( trust )、規範 (norms ) 與社會網絡 (social networks) 等要素，探討政府應如何運用並轉化社會資本，便成為政府可用之公共服務資源，最重要的是提升災難管理職能的「時效」性。 「社會資本論」指出民間社會擁有無窮之資源，其中以公益與慈善團體所能動員的物質與勞務、組織網絡、工作承諾、人道關懷、捐獻等，最為獨特，這些資源是公共組織所缺乏的，政府應建立制度，系統性地開拓並利用蘊藏在非政府部門的「社會資本」，以提昇政府「災難管理」之職能。從台灣過去所面臨的各種天然災難為例，尤其以九二一震災經驗，顯示政府並非萬能，救災與乃至於脹災都需民間社會的參與投入，方能即時、有殼的解除社會所遭遇的災費苦楚，從「災難管理」案例分析，本文提出的理論性主張，為提升政府公共服務職能，公共行政科學研究應從「政府」典範進入「治理」典範。

This paper, based on governance theory and social capital perspective, investigates the implementation difficulties and dilemma of 921 earquake disaster relief and reconstruction project. The paper also proposes a crucial theoretical argument of how to upgrade emergence management capability in dealing various disasters. Actually, emergency management is a complicate and difficult public service delivery for any public authority. It is improper to look for disaster relief strategy from traditional public administration. Efficient and effective emergency management should be based on newly emerging governance model which emphasizes the cooperation between the government and civil society since the private sector has large potential resources to be used in disaster relief and recovery program implemented by government. Generally, disaster relief is urgent and time-pressured public service. Governments with traditional hierarchical organizational control system are usually ineffective in dealing compelling disaster relief. Social capital approach, characterized with three key elements of trust, norms, and social networks, points out that there are potential resources, including humanitarianism, trust, donation, and organizational networks which could be mobilized to improve government performance in general and upgrade emergency managerial capability in particular. The government should figure out an institution setting to effectively create and mobilize social capital to improve government's emergency management capability. According to this bitter 912 earthquake disaster experienced by Taiwan's government and society, this paper emphasizes that facing new-millennium public administration, we should move from "government paradigm" into "governance paradigm".