Author(s)

Gaozhaoyang Xing ¹, Qiankun Chen ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ School of Public Administration, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, China

Corresponding Author

Gaozhaoyang Xing

ABSTRACT

As the complexity of local governance increases, local government policy innovation, as well as diffusion, has become key to promoting socio-economic development. As an important innovation of local governments in China, the 'river chief system' aims to solve long-standing problems in watershed governance, such as water pollution and ecological damage. This paper examines the diffusion mechanism of the 'river chief system' as a local government policy innovation. The article firstly reviews the development history of the river chief system and analyses the diffusion path of the system in various prefectures and provinces in China. It is found that the diffusion of the river management system is mainly achieved through four mechanisms: learning, imitation, competition and coercion. The paper further explores the specific ways and influencing factors of these diffusion mechanisms. Meanwhile, the widespread diffusion of the river management system reveals a policy diffusion mechanism with Chinese characteristics, which includes a combination of top-down policy guidance and bottom-up policy practice. In addition, the study will explore the challenges and solutions faced in policy innovation and diffusion, providing theoretical and practical guidance for future local government policymaking.

KEYWORDS

Policy Innovation, Policy Diffusion River, Management System

CITE THIS PAPER

Gaozhaoyang Xing, Qiankun Chen, Research on Diffusion Mechanism of Local Government Policy Innovation: A Case Study of River Chief System. Social Security and Administration Management (2024) Vol. 5: 51-58. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/socsam.2024.050207.

REFERENCES

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