How Do Political Features Influence the Co-Production of Government Projects? A Case Study of a Medium-Sized Chinese City

Wenting Ma, Rui Mu and Martin de Jong
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Wenting Ma: School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China
Rui Mu: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
Martin de Jong: Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Burgemeester Oudlaan 50, 3062 PA Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 14, 1-18

Abstract: Co-production is a solution by which the government provides public services. Co-production theory is built upon Western experience and currently focuses on the types of co-production in different policy stages, the barriers and governance strategies for co-production. However, little attention is paid to how political background will influence the co-production process. To fill the gap, we analyzed a case of co-production that occurred in China, and we characterized the political background as consisting of three main political features: political mobility, central–local relations, and performance measurement. Based on an in-depth case study of a government project in a medium-sized Chinese city, the impact and the changes of political features affecting governmental projects in different co-production stages are analyzed and assessed. We find that political features play a critical role in the co-production of China’s large government projects and may separately and jointly affect co-production. Government performance measurement affects the co-design and co-implementation of projects. Political mobility and changes in local government and performance measurement also affect the co-implementation continuity of the project. Political focus affects the co-design of projects. Central-local relations influence the support from higher government and the actual practices of lower government in the co-implementation stage.

Keywords: co-production; political features; co-design; co-implementation; project management; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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