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Site Visits, Policy Learning, and the Diffusion of Policy Innovation: Evidence from Public Bicycle Programs in China

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Abstract

Interjurisdictional learning is a key mechanism of policy mobility and diffusion, but the literature on this mechanism is scarce and its prominence is often underestimated. In this paper we use the case of public bicycle programs (PBPs) in China to examine the effect of intercity learning, specifically site visits, on policy diffusion. Hangzhou’s PBP is regarded as one of the most successful models and many city officials visit and learn from its best practices. We find that adjacent cities characterized by similar attributes are more inclined to learn from Hangzhou’ PBP, which facilitate these cities to adopt PBPs. More frequent site visits attended by more delegates and for more days are more likely to elicit policy adoption, while the leaders’ rank of delegations does not matter. Leadership turnover, prudent decision-making (e.g., incompatibility of PBP), and alternative solutions (e.g., metro) are found to be the missing links in transforming policy learning into policy adoption. We document the process of policy learning and diffusion, which deepens our understanding of the process of local government innovation in China.

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Notes

  1. While there are differences among these terms, we use them interchangeably to simplify our discussions. In the remainder of this paper we use policy diffusion more frequently partially due to its higher relevance to the context of PBPs in China.

  2. See its company profile at: http://www.hzsggzxc.com/about.aspx?c_kind=521&c_kind2=522&c_kind3=531. (accessed January 9, 2017)

  3. Among all PBPs in China, All but Guangzhou’s two programs (Luogang and Metro) and Luoyang’s are government initiated. All but 14 programs’ stations are built and owned by government. See: ITDP-China’s database at: http://www.publicbike.net (Updated: October 24, 2016).

  4. We searched the news reports in the CNKI database of key newspapers at http://epub.cnki.net/kns/brief/result.aspx?dbPrefix=CCND.

  5. It includes 39 delegations from Hangzhou, either local delegates or nonlocal visitors (e.g., executive training cohorts) bridged by local agents. There are still 19 delegations from cities in Zhejiang except for Hangzhou.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Mr. Xuejun Tao and Ms. Weili Bao for helps in datacollection and field work. I really appreciate helpful comments of the JCPS editorJessica C. Teets and two anonymous reviewers. I am grateful to financial supportfrom the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities and theResearch Funds of Renmin University of China (No.: 16XNF003). Excellentresearch assistance of Huaiyu Zhou is highly appreciated.

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  1. School of Public Administration and Policy, Renmin University of China, 59 Zhongguancun Avenue, 419A Qiushi Building, Haidian District, Beijing, 100872, China

    Liang Ma

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Ma, L. Site Visits, Policy Learning, and the Diffusion of Policy Innovation: Evidence from Public Bicycle Programs in China. J OF CHIN POLIT SCI 22, 581–599 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11366-017-9498-3

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