Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Did Policy Experimentation in China Always Seek Efficiency?
T2 - A case study of Wenzhou financial reform in 2012
AU - Zeng, Jinghan
PY - 2015/3/4
Y1 - 2015/3/4
N2 - Policy experimentation has been widely considered a 'magic bullet' of policy improvement and key to economic prosperity in China. This article, however, argues that policy experimentation in China does not always seek policy efficiency. Rather, it can be manipulated as a political symbol without actually affecting practices. By taking a case study on Wenzhou's financial reform, this article illustrates that local policy experimentation can serve as a mechanism for the central government to legitimately delay reform practices-in the case of Wenzhou's financial reform in 2012, out of a desire to maintain socio-economic stability during the power succession at the 18th Party Congress. In this reform, socio-economic stability was deemed more important than developing a sustainable and effective long-term policy. This article provides a new perspective on understanding policy experimentation in China by proposing the idea of 'symbolic reforms'.
AB - Policy experimentation has been widely considered a 'magic bullet' of policy improvement and key to economic prosperity in China. This article, however, argues that policy experimentation in China does not always seek policy efficiency. Rather, it can be manipulated as a political symbol without actually affecting practices. By taking a case study on Wenzhou's financial reform, this article illustrates that local policy experimentation can serve as a mechanism for the central government to legitimately delay reform practices-in the case of Wenzhou's financial reform in 2012, out of a desire to maintain socio-economic stability during the power succession at the 18th Party Congress. In this reform, socio-economic stability was deemed more important than developing a sustainable and effective long-term policy. This article provides a new perspective on understanding policy experimentation in China by proposing the idea of 'symbolic reforms'.
KW - POLITICS
KW - PERFORMANCE
KW - RESILIENCE
U2 - 10.1080/10670564.2014.932517
DO - 10.1080/10670564.2014.932517
M3 - Journal article
VL - 24
SP - 338
EP - 356
JO - Journal of Contemporary China
JF - Journal of Contemporary China
SN - 1067-0564
IS - 92
ER -