英文目录与摘要

●SYSPOSIUM：DecodingLocalGovernmentforGoodGovernance

Introduction：Organization,Institution,and Local Government Behavior

Xiang Gao

Leadership Effect and Peer Effect in Competition for Honorary City Titles: Evidence from National Health Cities

Songrui Liu， Runren Zhou & Tianyang Xi

AbstractThe competition for and the granting of honorary city titles， such as National Health City， is an important feature of Chinese public administration. But it remains understudied whether winning an honorary city has across-the-board spillover effects on the policies and governance models of other cities. This paper discusses the incentives and behavior of local officials in leading the campaign to create a National Health City (Chuangwei), and distinguishes the leadership effect from the peer effect in Chuangwei’s spatial diffusion. It is argued that if a provincial capital city pursues Chuangwei，the incentive uncertainty in performance evaluation is removed， thereby attracting more followers to adopt similar policies and governance models. Using the spatial autoregressive model and the spatial Dubin model，this paper analyzes the spatial diffusion of Chuangwei in prefecture-level cities from 2005 to 2017.We found that Chuangwei had significant spillover effects on other cities in the same province. Moreover， the diffusion of Chuangwei mainly stems from the leadership effect if the provincial capital city’s size of GDP ranks first in the province. When the economy of the provincial capital city is not so ranked， the diffusion of Chuangwei stems mainly from the peer effect. In addition， Chuangwei has a positive spillover effect on the environmental quality of peer cities with a similar level of economic development．

KeyWordsHonorary City Titles; National Health City; Spatial Econometric Model

Grassroots Governance Structure and Data Governance: Grid Management and Special Action in Z City’s T District

Xiaoxing Huang & Shaofen Ding

AbstractTechnological governance is an important aspect of grassroots governance; and digitalization is its important feature. By digitizing information， the state gradually tightensits grip on the grassroots. To improve the effectiveness of governance， the state has adopted data collection strategies in grassroots communities that are supplemented by bottom-up data collection mechanisms， top-down data governance implementation mechanisms， and diversified collaborative interaction mechanisms. This paper takes the government data governance system as the starting point， takes information as the connecting line between the state and society， and focuses on the governance structure of grass-roots government and the operation of data production. It examines the digitalization of governance and the change of grass-roots governance structure to explain the logic of the government and to clarify the social picture．

KeyWordsInformation Acquisition; Grassroots Governance Digitalization; Governance Structure;Data Governance

●ARTICLES

Public Preference for Nudge-Based Decarbonization Policies: A Conjoint Experiment with Machine Learning Approach

Saiquan Hu， Zhanyu Liu， Yuqiong Lei & Pan Liu

AbstractNudge strategies have the advantage of being an effective and low-cost means of promoting public low-carbon behavior.But their widespread use in decarbonization policies will raise public concerns about their infringement of decision-making autonomy. To gain a higher degree of public support， it is necessary to systematically understand the public’s preference for multiple attributes in the design of nudge-based decarbonization policies. Using a conjoined experimental design， the paper analyzes the public’s preference for nudge-based decarbonization policies from seven policy attributes， which include policy beneficiaries， nudge goals， civil society participation， policy implementers， nudge technologies， transparency， and alternative technologies. Using a machine learning approach， this paper also explores the heterogeneity of different groups in their preference for nudge-based decarbonization policies. Our findings indicate the public preferred nudge-based decarbonization policies with the following features: the policy beneficiaries are human beings; the nudge goals promote green commuting behavior and sustainable electricity consumption behavior; the policy process involves environmental protection organizations， universities and scientific research institutions; the nudge strategies are education campaign， positive framing， and feedback; the policy mechanism is highly transparent; and， the policy is used to replace tax policies. There was no significant difference in public preference for the four types of implementers of nudge-based decarbonization policies. Different cultural worldview groups and climate change risk perception groups vary greatly in their preference for nudge-based decarbonization policies. These findings provide policy implications for the design and promotion of nudge-based decarbonization policies．

KeyWordsNudge; Nudge-Based Decarbonization Policy; Public Policy Preference; Conjoint Experiment; Machine Learning

DoEpidemicsLeadtoMoreEconomicInequality？AnAnalysisoftheModeratingRoleofStateCapacity

Guangming Jiang

AbstractDo epidemics lead to more economic inequality？ If so， what should states do to alleviate such adverse effects？ Existing studies have not established clear and robust associations between epidemics and economic inequality for overlooking the role of state capacity. This paper argues epidemics in modern times tend to exacerbate economic inequality and the association is highly conditional on state capacity. Strong state extractive capacity lays a foundation for handling crises and implementing redistributive policies， while strong redistribution capacity directly leads to better policy efficacy. The five epidemics occurring since the 21st century were used to construct a cross-national time-series database (2000-2018). The results of statistical analyses show， all else being equal， epidemics breed more economic inequality and that both extractive capacity and redistribution capacity reduce the marginal effects. Policy implications for building state capacity and reducing economic inequality include enhancing state information capacity through establishing a digital system of citizens’ income and property， optimizing the tax revenue structure to better adjust income distribution， and strengthening fiscal discipline and budgetary supervision to improve the efficiency of transfer payments usage．

KeyWordsEpidemics; Economic Inequality; Extractive Capacity; Redistribution Capacity; State Capacity

The Implicit Expansion Mechanism of the Informal Staff Size of Local Government: A Case Study of A County

Jinhua Wang， Shaolong Wu & Wenting Tang

AbstractThe number of local staff supported by public budgeting must be reduced which has established rigid limitations. Formal staff is constricted but informal staff is expanded. To enhance organizational flexibility and adaptability， local governments in China have developed a third way of informal staff expansion without directly increasing the internal personnel of the bureaucratic system or contract outsourcing. Previous studies focused on the necessity of informal staff scale expansion but paid little attention to operations. Based on the demand theory and supply theory of government scale expansion， this paper constructs a dual soft constraint framework under the performance management system to analyze the mechanism and process of informal staff expansion in local governments. Taking A county as an example， this research studies the dynamic game process between functional departments which apply for more informal staff and the control departments focused on financial and personnel management. We found the“dual soft constraint frame” was the action logic which lead to informal staff expansion. Local governments face strong pressure in performance evaluation from superior departments but only weak punishment for informal staff expansion within the internal government. This study deepens our understanding of the personnel structure management of local governments and contributes to the modernization of the national governance system and the improvement of governance capacity．

KeyWordsPersonnel Structure Management;Government Size; Implicit Expansion; Soft Personnel Constraint; Soft Financial Constraint

Social Rational Governance under the Squeezing System: A Case Study of Town D

Mianguan Li & Yukeke Qin

Abstract“Governing through Social Relations” is a common administrative approach frequently used in administrative practice， but it is rarely studied. It is essentially an informal implementation of formal administrative tasks. The case of town D shows that if faced with an administrative task that cannot be completed through the formal bureaucratic governance logic， then the grassroots administrative executors will turn to social rational governance logic. Social rational governance in town D is composed of three successive stages: “triggering emotional resonance”， “persuading by lecturing” and “promising to offer benefit”.The mechanism for social rational governance is rooted in the “squeezing system”. As downward have-to-implement pressure meets upward resistance of hard-to-implement reality， grassroot administrative executors will seek a breakthrough to implement administrative tasks by social rational governance．

KeyWordsGoverning Through Social Relations; Social Rational Governance; Squeezing System

The Government Chain Selection Mechanism: An Interpretation of the Differences in the Practices of Administrative Delegated Third-party Evaluations

Sheng Zhang

AbstractIn recent years， third-party evaluations have improved the performance of government governance. In this regard， the existing research focuses on explaining the effectiveness and the internal-external influencing factors of third-party evaluations. What is ignored is the comparative analysis of the differences in evaluation practices. Considering that limitation， this study deployed a comparative analysis of the charity supermarkets evaluation in district A of city X and the civilized city establishing in city Y. From that， a government chain selection mechanism for the effectiveness of administrative delegated third-party evaluation was extracted. The results show the government chain selection mechanism is a complex operation process composed of multiple relevance choices， such as administrative delegated logic， political and social relations， political and social cooperation models， and third-party evaluation practice types. This mechanism starts from the two types of administrative delegated logic of “administrative supervision & guidance” and “joint decision-making & governance”， which determine the composition of “principal-agent” and “principal-steward” political and social relations， respectively. Then， these two structures determine the choices of passive and active modes of political and social cooperation. Finally， passive cooperation produces a formal third-party evaluation， while active cooperation creates a substantive third-party evaluation. Based on the government chain selection mechanism， the government should establish a “joint decision-making & governance” logic and treat the third-party evaluation process scientifically.The third-party evaluation organization must improve its professional abilities， enhance its sense of responsibility， and participate as a “steward”. With the joint efforts of government and society， the practical process third-party evaluation will become more effective．

KeyWordsAdministrative Delegation; Third-party Assessment; Governance Performance; Political and Social Relations; Government Chain Selection Mechanism

Policy Narratives，Public Attitude，and Supportive Behavior Intention: A Survey Experiment of the City Digital Transformation in Shanghai

Yang Zhang & Chuanshen Qin

AbstractIn the policy process， the government can communicate with the public through policy narratives to convey opinions and exert influence. As a policy related to information technology， the City Digital Transformation should consider the cognition and behavior of individuals. Can policy narratives affect the public’s attitude towards and support for the City Digital Transformation？Are the effects different？ A survey experiment was conducted among Shanghai residents to empirically analyze the relationship and mechanism among policy narratives， public attitudes， and supportive behavior intentions. The results show the policy narratives containing different participants and benefit perception descriptions of City Digital Transformation affect the public’s supportive behavior by influencing their attitudes. The policy narrative of “expert participation × individual benefit” had the most obvious effect on public attitudes. The policy narrative of “expert participation × individual benefit” had the most obvious effect on public attitudes. The mediating effect of public attitude was conditional. Through dialogue with literature on Narrative Policy Framework and the City Digital Transformation， we broke through the limitations of policy narrative research which centers on the oretical elaboration and extended our understanding to specific policies， enriching relevant research on the City Digital Transformation through experimental methods of behavioral science. This paper also discusses the potential reasons for the difference in policy narrative functions and provides possible narrative directions for improving public support．

KeyWordsNarrative Policy Framework; Policy Narratives; City Digital Transformation; Policy Support; Survey Experiment

How Does Internet Empowerment Affect the Government’s Performance in Relative Poverty Governance？

——The Mediating Role of Open Innovation

Xiaoyuan Li，Wei Zhong & Yuhua Teng

AbstractThe digital village strategy and the COVID-19 epidemic response show the Internet-based new generation of information technology increasingly plays an important role in the governance of relative poverty. However， the research on how the Internet can empower relative poverty governance remains shallow.This study adopted the multiple regression analysis method to construct a conceptual model of Internet empowerment and open innovation poverty alleviation (internal collaborative poverty alleviation， social collaborative poverty alleviation and assistance service innovation). The survey collected 281 completed questionnaires to verify the model and explore the mechanism of the Internet’s empowerment of relative poverty governance.Internet empowerment not only had a significant direct impact on the government’s performance of poverty alleviation， but it also indirectly affected it through internal coordination in poverty governance，social coordination in poverty governance， and service innovation as an intermediary. Internet empowerment has a significant， direct impact on internal coordination in poverty governance， social coordination in poverty governance， and service innovation.They have some intermediary effects on the relationship between internet empowerment and government’s performance in poverty governance. This paper explores the mechanism of Internet empowerment to relative poverty governance from the perspective of technology-led logic and proposes the “three modernizations” governance path， which expands the system-led logic of poverty governance theory and supplements anti-poverty theory with Chinese characteristics．

KeyWordsInternet Empowerment; Internal Coordination in Poverty Governance; Social Coordination in Poverty Governance; Service Innovation of Assistance; Government’ Performance in Poverty Governance

●THEORETICALREVIEWS

Ethical Issues of Nudging in Public Policy

Chunye Fu， Xiaokang Lyu & Yarui Zhang

AbstractEthical issues of nudging in public policy mainly consist of two levels. On the philosophical level， it has been claimed that nudging invades the autonomy of public behavior. On the practical level， it focuses on the ethical risks of specific nudging strategies， including those that cause different degrees of ethical risk， distributive justice issues caused by nudging， and moral risks caused by the technical approach to applying a nudge. Proponents of nudging reply to this criticism by arguing these are common ethical dilemmas of public policy， demonstrating acceptable ethical values of nudging， and providing solutions to ethical risks. When nudging is used in public policy， subdividing areas of public policy to promote ethical concerns， balancing the ethical demands of diverse groups， taking the ethical framework in public policy as the theoretical basis for research， and promoting ethics based on Chinese policy practice are among the possible pathways to advance the ethical justification of nudging．

KeyWordsNudge; Behavioral Public Policy; Ethic; Autonomy