Nothing but symbolic: Chinese new authoritarianism, smart government, and the challenge of multi-level governance

Zhang, Jun; Mora, Luca

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of Chinese new authoritarian principles on the approach to multi-level governance that China has implemented during the national transition to smart government. Employing a case study analysis, we illustrate the phenomenon of symbolic compliance, where sub-national public and private actors comply with state-level mandates but while being aware that their actions will fall short of achieving the desired improvements. This behavior, hitherto undocumented in the literature, contributes to the implementation of data-driven public service management solutions that inadequately address local governmental issues. Our findings prompt a re-evaluation of multi-level governance theory and practice in new authoritarian settings and underscore the need for a more pragmatic approach to smart government transitions in such contexts.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 28, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Nov 4, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023-10
• Deposit Date: Jan 5, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 5, 2024
• Journal: Government Information Quarterly
• Print ISSN: 0740-624X
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 40
• Issue: 4
• Article Number: 101880
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2023.101880
• Keywords: Public administration, Digital transformation, Smart government, Multi-level governance, New authoritarianism, Symbolic compliance, China
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/3445789