英文目录与摘要

JPAJournal of Public Administration, Vol.15 No.1, 2022

●SYMPOSIUM:TheChineseandWesternTraditionsinMoralEconomyandStateGovernance

Introduction: Tradition in Moral Economy and the Comprehensive Perspective of State Governance

Ankui Tan

The Social Basis of Modern State Governance Viewed from the Perspective of the Tradition of Moral Economy

Ankui Tan

AbstractAll discourses and theories about governance are subject to modern political economy. As a significant critic of political economy， moral economy may serve as an appropriate starting point for our reflections on state governance. Moral economy highlights the moral dimension of economy, and argues for the embeddedness of the economy in society. The universal value of moral economy depends on its hidden and unexclusive social imagination. The modern political economy originating with Adam Smith is compatible with the tradition of moral economy because it is grounded upon a commercial society. But its social formation is too thin. The civilized regime underlying it is too weak to avoid the economy disembedding from society. This warrants the presence of a higher-ordered moral economy that takes modern state governance in its essence as the construction of the political community. Consequently， a comprehensive doctrine of state governance must systematically integrate the elements of market mechanism， government function， political power， social justice and so on．

KeyWordsPolitical Economy; Moral Economy; Governance; Social Imagination; Political Community

From Shengmin to People

Chongqing Wu

AbstractThe term “shengmin” (born people) has three meanings， namely， the first birth of people， the Tao of cultivating the people， and the people born of heaven and earth. The concept of “people” determines the concept of “governance”， and one’s understanding of the object of governance determines its different modes. Governance of the “shengmin” must be in accordance with the Tao of making lives live on. This is reflected in the “economy of the shengmin” and the “theory of shengmin” which are different from the people-foundation theory. The purpose of revisiting “shengmin” is to explore the multiple connotations of traditional Chinese politics and the traditional Chinese ideological resources of “the people”. The return of “the people” to the center of Chinese political life today is a continuation of the theory underlying shengmin， which is hidden in the depths of history and in the pattern of the relationship between revolution and civilization．

KeyWordsShengmin；The Economy of Shengmin; People-foundation Theory；The Thought of Shengmin; The People

●ARTICLES

Randomized Experiments in Chinese Policy Pilots: A Methodological Discussion

Siqi Wang

AbstractChina’s unique policy pilot mechanism has become a hot research issue in recent years. Some researchers have drawn an analogy between policy pilots and Randomized Controlled Trials， which are widely conducted in developing economies. For them， policy pilots in China should borrow the methods of randomized experiments to evaluate scientifically， and draw causal inferences from， policy effects. This paper proposes a different view. Although policy pilots lack the random assignment and precise outcome measures of interventions in randomized experiments， randomized experimental evaluations are not necessary given the scale of policy implementation and the government’s ability to execute in China. The reasons are many. National development is a macro political economy process that makes it difficult to truly implement randomized experimental evaluations. Even policies validated by randomized experiments may be difficult to replicate due to differences in the capacity of government departments. Randomized experimental methods and results are not necessarily valued and adopted under a section system. And， results obtained locally may not be reproducible in larger areas or domains. Therefore， a high-quality policy evaluation requires an understanding of the value and the problems of randomized experiments as well as an in-depth understanding of the significance of policy pilots for national governance that integrates experimental and non-experimental methods．

KeyWordsPolicy Pilots; Causal Inference; Randomized Controlled Trials; Field Experiments; Impact Evaluation

Technical Control in Administrative Discretion:Practical Observation Based on Government Service Application Scenarios

Xing Liu

AbstractBenefiting from the rapid development of information technology such as big data and artificial intelligence， digitalized administrative discretion has been applied in different scenarios of government service， playing a role in assisting decision making. It has the technical advantage of improving the consistency of discretion results. But， the potential risk is the erosion of justice of individual discretion. There is always a tension between the formatting of discretion and each specific case. The technical rationality represented by digital discretion tends to lead to the path dependence of law enforcement. Discretion control escapes through the digital process. However， the carrier of administrative discretion heralds the transformative idea of discretion governance. Through a legal reserve framework， the applicable scope of the digital administrative discretion can be extended to technology of due process to build digital discretion of external communication. A system control program can promote digital discretion through internal man-machine integration. From there， it is possible to build a digital man-machine coordinated mechanism that can execute the discretion process．

KeyWordsArtificial Intelligence; Administrative Discretion; Due Process; Algorithm Administration; Automated Administration

Common Agency and the Failure in Regulatory Governance: An Empirical Study on the Third-party Testing Services Entrusted by Enterprise

Yijing Zhang & Peng Liu

AbstractThe third-party agency has become an important subject in the process of social supervision in recent years. However， the regulation of third-party institutions is not always effective. Intermediaries making false reports， testing beyond qualification， or using low-quality materials continue to be problems. Based on the common agency theory， this paper analyzes the factors contributing to third party failures in China’s regulatory process. Our empirical analysis focuses on the causes of failure from the aspects of “the heterogeneity between principals” and “the demand and situation of agents”. In terms of the demand and the degree of influence on testing institutions， there are obvious differences between public and production enterprises. Faced with heterogeneous principals， testing institutions in China may be affected by factors such as their profit-making identity， competition in the industry， the cost-benefit of fraud， the operation of their trust and reputation mechanisms， and their willingness to act against the public interest. We suggest several policy changes， including strengthening external review and supervision， adjusting payment modes， implementing price controls， unblocking complaint channels， standardizing business acceptance behaviors， and requiring information disclosure．

KeyWordsThird-party Agency; Social Regulation; Regulatory Failure; Testing Institution; Common Agency Theory

Departmental Cooperation Logic in the Leading Task System: Based on the Qualitative Comparative Analysis of the Reform Cases of “Reform of Government Functions”

Xiang Ma

AbstractThe leading task system is a common and distinctive form of departmental cooperation， but it has received little attention in the literature. To correct that， this paper examines the “Reform of Government Functions” cases. Using the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis method， we analyzed the departmental cooperation path and mechanism in the leading task system. We found there is a performance-driven departmental cooperation path in the “Leading-task System”. The path demonstrates the endogenous motivation of the department to pursue task-based performance. This paper deconstructs the micro-mechanisms of departmental cooperation in the leading task system and presents evidence that task-based performance can still promote the completion of the task in the absence of the attention of the superior. This enriches the theory of intergovernmental relations and also provides the enlightenment and ideas for the promotion of departmental cooperation.

KeyWordsLeading-task System; Departmental Cooperation; Qualitative Comparative Analysis

The Punctuated Equilibrium Model of Chinese Childcare Budget Changes:An Analysis Based on Provincial Panel Data during 2007-2019

Hongyu Xu & Jinpeng Wu

AbstractAt the time of the implementation of the three-child policy， childcare attracted attention as an important governance tool to boost fertility. Applying provincial panel data on childcare budgets from 2007 to 2019， we empirically analyzed the punctuations of China’s childcare budget process by calculating the change in budget ratio and L-K values and analyzed the effects of government attention， policy image， and institutional frictions on the budget process using a fixed-effects model. We found China’s childcare budgeting changes abided by the logic of punctuated equilibrium. Government’s attention and family demands have significant effects on childcare budgets， but policy image， social friction， and market friction were not significant. This shows China’s political system will magnify budget punctuation， while media information cannot significantly affect punctuation. The interaction between the government and society shapes the basic characteristics of childcare budget changes. This research provides a budget change perspective for childcare policy research. It also suggests policy designs for social childcare services that will protect children’s rights， maintain policy goal continuity， and strengthen economic support．

KeyWordsChildcare Budget; Punctuated-Equilibrium; Government Attention; Policy Image; Institutional Friction

“Crowd Innovation” Experiment: A New Perspective to Understand China’s Policy Innovation: A Case Study of Fault Tolerance and Error Correction Mechanism for Cadres

Zhao Chen

AbstractExperiment is a policy innovation strategy with distinct pragmatic characteristics， which can be expressed in different forms according to practical needs. Most of the existing studies on policy experiments take the “pilot-promotion” model as the premise and basis， without paying attention to the diversity of policy experiments. Based on the observation of governance practices and reflections on the limitations of existing analytical frameworks， this study proposes a new competitive interpretation framework， namely， the “Crowd Innovation” experiment. This analytical framework is used to examine policy innovation issues characterized by high complexity， time constraints， and obvious differences in local contexts. Using the formation and evolution of fault tolerance and error correction mechanism as an example， this paper analyzes the process of the “Crowd Innovation” experiment with the help of field research data and public data. The policy innovation process in the “Crowd Innovation” experiment mode was characterized by open exploration， progressive innovation， and differentiated selection. Moreover， it presents a deep logic different from the traditional “pilot-promotion” analytical framework in terms of target orientation， role of the central government， knowledge production， policy diffusion， and development path. The “Crowd Innovation” experiment model provides a new perspective for understanding the policy innovation process in China， and helps to promote the growth of knowledge in the field of policy experiment．

KeyWords“Crowd Innovation” Experiment; Policy Innovation; Central-Local Relationship; Fault Tolerance and Error Correction Mechanism

How Does Social Mobility Perception and Expectation Affect Residents’ Happiness？ The Mediate Effect of Public Service Satisfaction and the Moderate Effect of Perceived Social Justice

Lijun Chen， Xiaohui Hu & Xin Gu

AbstractThe increase in people’s happiness is not only due to economic mobility (i.e.， the increase in relative income)， but also to social mobility (i.e.， the improved social status). Based on the 2015 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) data， this paper uses the Bootstrap method to test the mechanism of social mobility perception and social mobility expectations on happiness. Social mobility perception and social mobility expectation have a positive impact on residents’ happiness. Public service satisfaction has a concealment effect between social mobility expectation and happiness， and a mediating effect between social mobility perception and happiness. Social justice perception has a moderating effect on the relationship between social mobility perception and happiness， the relationship between social mobility expectation and happiness， and the relationship between social mobility expectation and public service satisfaction. These findings reveal the mechanism of social mobility on residents’ happiness. They also imply the targeted population of social policy needs to expand beyond vulnerable groups to include the non-vulnerable. This group has high expectations of social mobility through public service governance (in particular， equity of public service). Doing so will increase the popular sense of happiness and gain．

KeyWordsResidents’ Happiness; Social Mobility Perception; Social Mobility Expectation; Perceived Social Justice; Public Service Satisfaction

●THEORETICALREVIEWS

Understanding Co-production Driven by Information and Communication Technologies: Impacts， Determinants， and Challenges

Qianli Yuan & Yunxiang Zhang

AbstractThe use of ICTs has increasingly become a central part of public service co-productions with citizens. However， the new types of co-production shaped by ICTs and their impacts on public value creation are less explored in the extant studies. This literature review presents the main issues addressed in current studies regarding co-production with ICTs and identifies potential directions for future research. A variety of ICTs are used to enable citizens’ direct contributions in the co-production of public services. These new co-production models include Citizen-Sourcing， Government-as-Platform， and Automatic Co-production. Nevertheless， apparent contradictions still exist about ICTs impact the public value of co-production. Some scholars suggest ICTs have the potential to increase efficiency and effectiveness， participation，empowerment， and inclusiveness. Others offer opposite evidence. These contradictions reveal the use of ICTs in co-production goes beyond a single technological matter and is influenced by technological， data， organizational， and citizen factors. Yet， empirical studies that specifically and systematically address complex patterns of those determinants or barriers are still limited. Future research is needed on the processes of co-production driven by different ICTs. Researchers must also evaluate the actual impacts of those ICTs and determinants to better use ICTs in the co-production of public services， especially in the context of digital governance in China．

KeyWordsCo-Production; Information and Communication Technology; Literature Review