繼晚清民初國家統治力量減弱對治理黃河的干預之後，二十世紀20年代末30年代初，受政權交替影響，治黃當中的「國家」角色再度退卻。地方社會出於自衛，不得不承擔起一定責任，由地方菁英出面組成治水協會，動員各方力量展開自救，並努力獲得政府的財政挹注。在地方爭取資源的過程中，地緣、學緣紐帶發揮了重要作用，河防的跨區域性與軍事意義也成為地方用來爭取資源的籌碼。本文的案例還顯示，就治黃而言，國家統治力量的衰弱，對黃運地區與沿海地區產生了不同的影響。相對於黃運地區，沿海地區內部經濟社會力量較弱，在治黃問題上對國家的依賴性更強，但又不具備地緣政治上的優勢，未能受到國家的特別重視，以致水患問題難以得到及時解決。

Interventions concerning the management of the Yellow River had started to diminish as a result of the reduction in state capacity during the late Qing and early Republican period, and in the late 1920s and early 1930s, during another round of regime transition, the role of the state in Yellow River conservancy receded even further. Consequently, local society had to fend for itself and began to undertake a vast number of responsibilities. Local elites, for example, formed river conservancy associations, mobilized all social sectors in attempts to salvage the situation, and worked towards securing government funding. Within the processes of local competition for resources, geopolitical and even academic ties assumed enormous importance, and the fact that river conservancy was often a significant pan-regional and military project means it also became a bargaining chip for localities. The case studies in this paper also suggest that, in the matter of Yellow River management, the recession of state capacity had varying effects on different areas along the river and coastal regions. Compared to the logistically important areas along the river, the internal socio-economic power of the coastal regions was relatively weak and more reliant on the state pertaining to Yellow River conservancy. However, such regions lacked any geopolitical advantages and thus failed to secure the attention of the state, resulting in long delays in the resolution of flooding.