China’s optimization of the business environment encourages local government to explore while reflecting distinctive dominant characteristics  of central government. Using content analysis, this paper analyzes 170 central-level policies on business environment optimization from 2008 to 2020 based on the perspective of policy instruments, mines 1650 policy analysis units and 16 case nodes, and places them in a two-dimensional analysis framework of “policy instrument dimension-applying area dimension”. This two-dimensional analysis framework reveals the overall picture, core connotation, and behavioral path of business environment optimization in China. It is found that the policymakers of business environment optimization are widely but loosely connected, and there are more environment-based policy tools. The policy instruments are distributed more in the areas of government services and market environment in the process of business environment optimization. According to the different degrees of government-driven, environment-shaped, and demandresponded, the selection and configuration of policy tools present three types in business environment optimization. In the future, policy formulation should further strengthen top-level design, improve communication and coordination mechanisms between departments; enrich the variety of policy tools, increase the use of information technology, enhance the selectivity and combinability of policy tools; promote the balanced allocation of policy tools in the optimization of the business environment, improve the level of adaptation between policy tools and policy objectives, accumulate experience through practical interaction between the central and local authorities, and ultimately to achieve a comprehensive optimization of the business environment.

我国营商环境优化在鼓励地方探索的同时更体现出鲜明的中央政府主导特征。运用内容分析法,基于政策工具视角分析2008—2020年170篇中央层面营商环境优化政策,挖掘出1650个政策分析单元、16个案例节点,并将其置于 “政策工具维度 适用领域维度”框架中进行讨论,以揭示我国营商环境优化的整体图景、核心内涵及行为路径。研究发现,营商环境优化政策制定主体广泛但关联松散。环境型政策工具使用较多;政策工具侧重分布于政务服务和市场环境领域。按照政府主导、环境塑造、需求回应的程度不同,政策工具选择与配置在营商环境优化过程中呈现出三种类型。未来应进一步强化顶层设计,完善部门间沟通与协调机制;丰富政策工具的种类,加大信息技术的使用力度,提升政策工具的选择性与可组合性;推动政策工具在营商环境优化中的均衡配置,提升政策工具与政策目标之间的适配水平,以央地实践互动积累经验,最终实现营商环境全面优化。