Implementation Responsiveness in China

We propose a new concept, implementation responsiveness, which refers to the extent to which policy implementation is adapted in response to public opinion. By examining documented texts about the actual actions of Chinese city executive bureaus in response to online public opinions on environmental protection issues, we provide insight into the phenomenon of implementation responsiveness. Manual coding of the textual data reveals that implementation responsiveness is widespread in the responses of Chinese city administrations, and is manifested as an increase in the intensity or expanded scope of implementation. We also examine the effect of pishi – a Chinese mechanism for the distribution and transmission of leadership power and attention – on implementation responsiveness using the propensity score matching method. The results show that pishi has a significant positive effect on implementation responsiveness, implying that leadership authority is an important source of implementation responsiveness in Chinese executive bureaus.