Table of Content

17 September 2023, Volume 12 Issue 5

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From Party Governance to State Governance: The Governance Logic of the Reform #br# #br# of China's Discipline Inspection and Supervision Institutions#br#

LI Wenzhao

2023, 12(5):  3. 

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The discipline inspection and supervision institution is an important organizational practice of the Party and the country's self-supervision, and it is also an important part of the reform of party and state institutions. Based on the paradigm of interface governance theory, this paper proposes an analytical framework of "Multi-layer nested interface governance" will serve as the discipline inspection and monitoring machine of the governance interface, it is embedded in the multi-level governance interface system of the Party and the state for exploration, so as to conduct in-depth investigation the long reform process of China's discipline inspection and supervision agencies. The study found that due to party and state attention the limited nature of distribution, as well as the complexity of the problems faced, the reform of China's discipline inspection and supervision institutions follows the logic of "governing the Party", "governing the country" and "governing the Party and governing the country integration logic". This is a multi-layer nested adaptive process by discipline inspection and supervision institutions to the interface of the Party and state supervision system, and to the modernization of the national governance system and governance capabilities, thus, the continuous optimization of the discipline inspection and supervision system and its governance performance is realized. The two-wheel drive of collaborative the logic of governing the Party and governing the country, and the reorganization and integration of its internal functions will be the key reform direction of China's discipline inspection and supervision agencies.

Performance Measurement of Government Service from the Perspective of Public Value: Based on User Experience Evaluation of 10 Counties in A City

BAO Guoxian, PENG Hongjiu

2023, 12(5):  14. 

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How to measure the level of government service performance from the public and social perspectives is a hot topic of academic concern and discussion. This paper concretizes the public value in the field of China, puts forward the public value system of government service performance evaluation, and constructs the index system of government service performance measurement from the dimensions of mission, tool and equity value. This paper introduces user experience evaluation in the field of psychology and marketing, and organizes the investigator to simulate the identity of an official to conduct on-line and off-line user experience and empirical analysis on the government service performance of 10 counties in A city. The study found that the local government in the process of government service construction has low transparency, digital transition lag, response feedback poor effectiveness and other obvious problems, the reform pay more attention to the value of tools such as“Efficiency” and“Technology”, while the value of rights and interests such as“Response” and“Convenience” are weakened. This paper constructs the government service performance measurement index system from the perspective of public value, which is expected to provide theoretical basis and evaluation criteria for government service construction. This paper introduces user experience evaluation into the field of government service, in order to observe the real performance of government service from the perspective of public and social demand. Through first-hand data analysis, help enhance the accuracy and authenticity of the evaluation. In this sense, it provides a new attempt for government service performance evaluation.

The Impact of “Crash Expenditure” on Government Performance Evaluation: An Empirical Research Based on Micro and Provincial Panel Data#br#

ZHANG Ping, ZHUGE Andong, YAN Hong

2023, 12(5):  31. 

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The government’s “crash expenditure” in the late stage of budget implementation is a common problem of the fiscal performance 


management in various countries. Serious “crash expenditure” means that the government’s fiscal management capacity is insufficient. The existing empirical research mainly aims to discuss the causes of this phenomenon，and has not yet systematically analyzed the social cost brought by “crash expenditure”. Based on the micro data of the China Household Panel Studies (CFPS) and the aggregated panel data of each province，this paper analyzes the impact of “crash expenditure” on the performance evaluation of local governments，and discusses the mediating effect of corruption perception and the moderating effect of fiscal expenditure structure. The results show that “crash expenditure” will significantly reduce residents’ evaluation of local government performance，and will reduce the performance evaluation by increasing the mediating effect of citizens’ corruption perception. Compared with infrastructure spending，a higher proportion of government spending on public service will exacerbate the negative impact of “crash expenditure” on the performance evaluation of local governments.

Does Public Perception of Governance Performance Increase Public Participation in Environmental Protection? --Dual Evidence from Fuzhou Black-odor Water Surveys and Online Appeal Data#br#

CAI Jingjing, WET Xiaonan

2023, 12(5):  47. 

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The era of the Internet has broadened the channels for citizens to participate in environmental governance, providing favorable conditions for observing the relationship between subjective perceptions of government performance and public participation. Does the public’s perception of government performance in black-odor waters governance affect their environmental participation? And through which channels and mechanisms of action does the perception of government performance in governance have an impact? This article empirically examines these questions based on 412 valid field questionnaires and 1202 online hotline inquiries. It is found that the perception of government environmental governance performance significantly increases the probability of citizens’ environmental participation, in which individual norms play a mediating role. Under the framework of the original theory of planned behavior, this paper introduces two emotional component variables, pollution perception and political trust, for residents. It is found that groups with strong pollution perceptions are more reluctant to participate in black-odor waters treatment, and good perceptions of government governance performance can effectively mitigate this negative effect. Political trust, on the other hand, mainly constrains individual public norms by way of constructing intrinsic constraints to increase the probability of environmental participation among pro-environmentalist groups. The benchmarking results are also re-evaluated using online appeal texts. The empirical results of this paper provide empirical evidence on how to introduce psychological tools in public management practice to improve public environmental participation behavior.

The Policy Implementation Fluctuation of Physical Fitness Testing Policy in Competitive Sports#br#

LIANG Pinghan, ZHAO Yulan, ZHANG Zhiqi

2023, 12(5):  61. 

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Policy implementation fluctuation is a common phenomenon in local government. Existing studies have explained this phenomenon based on the perspective of institutional environment and section operations, but few to analyze how the changes of implementation pressure at the policy-making level affect the policy implementation. Opening this black box can help to understand policy implementation fluctuation at a deeper level. This paper takes the “physical fitness testing” reform implemented by the General Administration of Sports of China in 2019-2020 as an example, to analyze the process and mechanisms of the fluctuation at different reform stages. The study finds that policy makers shaped implementation situations with different pressure intensities through the mechanisms of mobilization, administrative control and social absorption. And implementers strategically implemented policies with self-interest motives, political tasks and policy goals as the guides of action. Further analysis reveals that: (1)Conflicting goals, insufficient incentives and constraints, as well as competition among local governments lead to negative policy implementation; (2)Under the strong incentive and hard constraint of “one-vote veto”, the unconventional means to accomplish political tasks and avoid accountability risks lead to campaign implementation; (3)Public opinion corrects the campaign-style implementation by reconciling the pressure intensity, and lead the policy to normal implementation. The above findings provide a new perspective for deciphering the deep logic of policy implementation fluctuations and throw light on the effective measures of policy implementation.

Can Government Transparency Promote the Improvement of Government Services: Threshold Regression Analysis Based on Panel Data of Chinese Cities--Take the Government's Enterprise Services for Example

DONG Xinyu, JU Yifei

2023, 12(5):  80. 

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The empirical research on the relationship between government transparency and government service level in China is an important research blank. Therefore， this study takes the information asymmetry caused by principal-agent relationship as the entry point， combines the theories of integrity of government and discretion of local government in the Context of China， and proposed the hypothesis of the influence characteristics of government transparency on the improvement of government services under different conditions. Then， taking enterprise services of local governments as an example， panel data of 292 Cities in China from 2017 to 2019 are used as research data， and econometric models such as panel data regression and threshold regression are used to explore the impact of government transparency on government service level and the threshold effect of government transparency， government integrity and local government autonomy. The results of empirical analysis show that the improvement of government transparency significantly promotes the improvement of government service level; In the areas with high degree of government transparency， integrity and local government autonomy， this promotion effect is more obvious; the reverse is less obvious. At the same time， the above conclusions are always valid in the eastern region; In the central region， the threshold effect of government autonomy is still obvious， the threshold effect of transparency is not obvious， but the threshold effect of integrity is different. When the autonomy of government in northeast China is low， the result is contrary to the hypothesis， neither the effect of transparency nor integrity is obvious. In the western region， the threshold effect of transparency， integrity and autonomy is not obvious. Therefore， it can be speculated that under the background of the reform of "delegating regulation and providing services"， the improvement of local government service level has reached a certain height， and the further optimization of services has put forward higher requirements for the governance and innovation capabilities of local governments. The government transparency construction， anti-corruption and decentralization measures can only play a supporting role.

Horizontally Aggravating Tasks Between Departments: Operating Mechanism,Realistic Functions And Optimization Paths --Empirical Analysis Based On The Reforms To Streamline Administration,Delegate Powers,And Improve Regulation And Services In Province A#br#

LI Zhijie

2023, 12(5):  99. 

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In China's national governance field, which is characterized by a unitary state structure and a centralized administrative system, “vertically aggravating tasks between upper and lower levels of government” are the focus of extensive academic attention. However, combined with the empirical experience of the the reforms to streamline administration,delegate powers,and improve regulation and services in province A, we can see that there may also be “horizontally aggravating tasks between departments”. On the basis of case analysis, the author attempts to systematically explain the operation mechanism of “horizontally aggravating tasks between departments” from four aspects: coordinated target matter, legally authorized lead department, smooth and efficient pressure transmission, and professional and responsible personnel. It also believes that in the process of implementation of relevant policies, it can promote the organic combination of overall planning advantages and professional advantages, enhance the quality of communication and cooperation between relevant departments, solve the problem of information asymmetry in assessment and acceptance, and improve the 


comprehensive ability and overall awareness of business personnel.Finally, it proposes optimization paths that focus on the comprehensive efforts of relevant departments, improve the reward and punishment mechanism for fulfilling responsibilities, emphasize the scientific and reasonable policy objectives, and enhance the publicity and guidance of relevant policies. By constructing a theoretical analysis framework for the related research of “horizontally aggravating tasks between departments”, we will make positive and beneficial explorations and efforts to expand and enrich the research perspective and research connotation of “aggravating tasks” in the field of China's national governance.

Will Relational Governance Dispel the Policy Implementation Ability of Village Cadres?--An Empirical Test based on the River Chief System Policy#br#

HU Naiyuan, ZHANG Yaya, SU Yaqiu, ZHU Yuchun

2023, 12(5):  112. 

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The vitality of a policy lies in its implementation. In the rural society based on "relationship", village cadres with substantial discretion often adopt an informal "relationship governance" model to implement policies, and realize the constraint and incentive of each other's behavior through interpersonal emotional connection and reciprocal obligation. This study takes the grass-roots implementation of the river chief system policy as an example. By introducing the interactive adaptation theory of policy implementation, an executive model including human relationship, individual ability and service motivation is constructed. By using a total of 961 survey data collected by the research group in Jiangsu, Anhui and Shaanxi provinces, the comprehensive impact of relationship governance on the policy implementation ability of village cadres is empirically investigated. The results show that: Relationship governance will lead to the improvement of public acceptance of policies and the reduction of implementers' compliance with policies. Under the joint action of the two forces, there is an "inverted U-shaped" relationship between the degree of relationship governance and the policy implementation ability of village cadres. On the one hand, public leadership can enhance policy implementation, on the other hand, it can buffer the negative impact of relationship governance, and play a positive mediating role in the impact of relationship governance on policy implementation. Public service motivation is the boundary condition to improve public policy implementation. When village cadres have a higher level of public service motivation, the negative impact of relationship governance on policy implementation is weakened. Combined with the special situation of rural social field, this study expands the theory of policy implementation in the Chinese context, and can provide policy reference and theoretical guidance for the grass-roots policy implementation.

Beleaguered Actor: Grass-roots Government’s Strategies of Petition Governance under the New Technology Environment-- Based on the Case Study of H City and W Town#br#

ZHONG Weijun

2023, 12(5):  126. 

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In recent years, mayor's hotline is increasingly integrated with big data and intelligent technology, which has an increasing impact on the governance of petition. While improving the efficiency and transparency of petition, new technologies have an unexpected siege effect on grassroots governments, and insufficient attention has been paid to this problem. This paper takes the case of W Town government setting up the town-level hotline under the petition pressure brought by the mayor's hotline and finally fails as the research object, and takes the actor structure in the application of technology as the logic to deeply reveal the multiple siege of the grass-roots government caused by new technology and the action strategies under such siege. In the unbalanced actor structure, the grass-roots government has to face the responsibility following mechanism of the superior government, the cross-departmental pressure gathering mechanism and the cross-level appeal transmission mechanism of the grass-roots people in the process of petition. Under the effect of these besieged mechanisms, the original space for independent action is greatly squeezed. This may mean a new dilemma for the transformation of grassroots petition governance modernization. This paper theoretically expands the research on grassroots government's petition governance under the background of new technology. The research conclusion provides valuable enlightenment for the deep reflection on the current transformation and modernization of the grassroots governance information 

technology. 


Uniting Work: A Mechanism for the Functioning of County's Weak Sectors

CHEN Wei

2023, 12(5):  141. 

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 In the process of county governance, the division of functions has shaped the differences between departments in terms of political status and resource volume, making a distinction between strong and weak departments in the county. In a governance situation where grassroots governments have multiple mandates and tasks, how can the weaker departments mobilize township 

governments to accomplish their tasks? A study of the S County Women's Federation's "Beautiful Courtyards" found that disadvantaged departments strengthened their political influence and raised the priority of their own tasks by leveraging upward, peer-to-peer cooperation and downward mobilization strategies. Unlike the strong departments, which often use the assessment and inspection system to transmit pressure, the weak departments rely on the " Uniting Work " mobilization mechanism. The logic of " Uniting Work" is that, at a time when grassroots government is not hierarchical and informal relations are widespread, the weaker sectors take advantage of the institutional gap to reconfigure the logic of resource allocation and organizational relations to achieve a multi-line mobilization of grassroots government. The article may help break the generalized perception of the government system and open the black box of government operations.

An Epistemological Introspection on the Praxis of Public Administration: the Logic of Action Theory Paradigm.#br#

Zhang Xuefan

2023, 12(5):  156. 

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The problem of praxis to a large extent causes the crisis of public administration theories. Action theory paradigm, as an epistemology that attempts to bridge the gap between research and practice, has been introduced into public administrative research. However, the current research on the epistemology of the action theory paradigm and its characteristics in public administration is insufficient. The details of operational methods are emphasized, while the specific characteristics of this epistemology are blurred. In this regard, the design of methods does not always match the epistemology or administrative research questions. This problem gradually becomes prominent. It hinders the development of action research in China. Focusing on the basic assumptions of theoretical praxis, this paper reviews the epistemological logic of action theory paradigm and compares its differences from positivism. This review will clarify some basic guidelines for following action research.