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Online Consultation and the Institutionalization of Transparency and Participation in Chinese Policymaking

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 May 2020

Steven J. Balla  and
Zhoudan Xie
Steven J. Balla*
Affiliation:
The George Washington University.
Zhoudan Xie
Affiliation:
The George Washington University. Email: [email protected].
*
Email: [email protected] (corresponding author).
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Abstract

This article examines the institutionalization of online consultation, a prominent instrument of governance reform in contemporary China in which government organizations make public draft laws and regulations and solicit input from interested parties prior to finalizing decisions. The article specifically analyses the extent to which online consultation is a durable governance reform that enhances transparency and participation in policymaking. The analysis focuses on the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) and Guangzhou Municipal Government (GMG), leading organizations in the implementation of online consultation. Through the analysis of original datasets consisting of hundreds of policies proposed by the MOC and GMG and thousands of comments submitted in response to these drafts, the article demonstrates that online consultation has institutionalized government transparency but has not consistently enhanced public participation. Although online consultation has the potential to transform policymaking, the evidence suggests that strong confidence in this possibility is not warranted.

摘要

摘要

本文就中国网络问政的制度化进行了探讨。网络问政是现代中国行政管理改革的一种重要形式，指的是政府通过网络公开法律法规草案并对其征求公众意见。本文围绕网络问政是否能作为一种持久的行政管理改革加强政策制定中的透明度与参与度进行了实证分析。针对执行网络问政的两个主要政府机关，即商务部和广州市政府，本文分析了数百条政策草案以及相关的数千条公众意见。 研究发现，网络问政实现了政务公开的制度化，却尚未系统地加强公众参与。虽然网络问政有变革政策制定的可能性，然而证据表明这种可能性还未有实现的趋势。

Keywords

government transparencypublic participationinstitutionalizationgovernance reformonline consultationChina政务公开公众参与制度化行政管理改革网络问政中国
Type
Research Article
Information
The China Quarterly , Volume 246 , June 2021 , pp. 473 - 496
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Copyright
Copyright © SOAS University of London, 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the SOAS University of London

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