The Mechanism of Policy Diffusion and Central-Local Relationship: The Case of Chinese Community Party’s “Investigation and Research” (Diaoyan) Politics

• In Event: Local Governance in Motion: Dynamics of Central-local Relationship in China

Abstract

This paper argues that the central authorities in China are in fact deeply involved with the process of adaptive policy reform and policy diffusion in local governance .Existing literature has considered mechanisms of imitation and learning within local governments and the innovation of policy entrepreneurs to explain policy diffusion. However, these approaches largely overlook the crucial role of China’s national leaders. By way of the process of diaoyan (investigation and research), superior leaders select a local government as the “point of contact” to push the relative policies or innovations. After diaoyan is complete, the superior authorities often invest a great deal of resources into guaranteeing the continuing rapid development of a point of contact location, reinforcing its exemplary status. In addition, the “point of contact” was been a model to be learned among other local governments to practice the policy diffusion. There were two patterns ── top-down and horizontal diffusions ── were been existed together. Finally, my main argument is, in the process, the diaoyan is a special mechanism of policy diffusion in contemporary China.

Author

• Wen-Hsuan Tsai, Academia Sinica