Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Decision-Making and Risk Sources: Key to Source Governance for Social Stability

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Chinese Political Science Review Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Conflict-sensitive social impact assessment (CSSIA) is to predict and analyze social risks triggered by public decision-making to realize source governance. Based on decision-making theories, this paper aims to explore the relationship between decision-making and risk source. Based on the field research of the policy-making process in contemporary China, this paper elaborates on the relationship between decision-making and risk accumulation in five aspects: the bounded rationality of decision makers, the deformation of decision structure, the fragmentation of decision-making process, the unduly frequency of policy change, and the excessively big size of policy gap. Promoting the transformation of the decision-making process is the key to dealing with the large-scale and high-risk social instability in the socioeconomic transition period. In the framework of developing countries, further research is needed to delve into the institutional arrangement of public decision-making to guarantee a well-ordered society. In the practices of CSSIA, the focus should not be simply put on the prediction and assessment of risks and emergency response, but more importantly on the analysis of contributing factors of risk evolution. This paper reveals that social instability occurs when the balance of social interests is broken and its root lies in the institutional arrangement of public decision-making. Therefore, promoting the transformation of decision-making system is the gist of CSSIA in the Chinese context and it can help make the source governance come true.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. From the News of the Communist Party of China, http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64162/71380/71387/71589/5526691.html.

  2. From government website news, http://www.yandu.gov.cn/Article/dwgk/zdgz/201110/51220/html.

  3. From government website news, http://zjfzb.gov.cn/il.htm?a=si&key=main/xwzx/dtxw/zhxw&id=5c3f755b4419c0ec014500fdd7351895.

  4. From government news, http://www.hangzhou.gov.cn/main/zwdt/ztzj/kfsjc/wenjian/T301396.shtml.

  5. From government news, http://www.hangzhou.gov.cn/main/zwdt/ztzj/kfsjc/wenjian/T301396.shtml.

  6. The eight categories are: (1) government report, report of the socioeconomic plan of Hangzhou city, and financial report; (2) urban planning and major special projects; (3) important drafts of local government regulations; (4) important reform plan and public policy that are closely related to the interests of the general public; (5) major adjustments of daily operations and public service for the public; (6) major public activities that are closely related to the life and work of the public, and the response plan for public emergencies; (7) major issues on the self-construction of government; (8) other major issues put forward by the mayor.

  7. Refer to http://www.hangzhou.gov.cn/main/all/gdzb/.

  8. From government website news, http://www.shmec.gov.cn/attach/xxgk/6538.doc.

  9. These figures are from the authors’ field research in the 16 administrative districts of Shanghai in 2013.

  10. From government website news, http://www.gov.cn/jrzg/2011-07/15/content_1906723.htm.

  11. This definition comes from the Risk Management Terminology of the National Standards of the People’s Republic of China (GB/T 23694-2009/ISO/IEC Guide 73:2002).

References

  • Becker, H., and F. Vanclay. 2003. The international handbook of SIA. Cheltenham: E Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennett, C.J., and M. Howlett. 1992. The lessons of learning: reconciling theories of policy learning and policy change. Policy Sciences 25 (3): 275–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bullock, J.B., R.A. Greer, and L.J. O’Toole. 2018. Managing risks in public organizations: a conceptual foundation and research agenda. Perspectives on Public Management and Governance 2 (1): 75–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, J.L. 2002. Ideas, politics, and public policy. Annual Review of Sociology 28 (1): 21–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Capano, G. 2013. Policy dynamics and change. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chan, H.S. 2004. Cadre personnel management in China: the nomenklatura system, 1990–1998. The China Quarterly 179: 703–734.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, Feng. 1997. Order and stability in social transition: neoconservative political thought in post-China. The China Quarterly 151: 593–613.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deng, Xiaoping. 1994. Selected works of Deng Xiaoping. Beijing: People’s Publishing House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feng, Xingyuan. 2010. Competition among local governments. Shanghai: Yilin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fenger, M., and V. Bekkers. 2012. Creating connective capacities in public governance: challenges and contributions. Beyond fragmentation and interconnectivity. Public governance and the search for connective capacity. Washington: IOS Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gigerenzer, G., and R. Selten. 2001. Rethinking rationality. Bounded rationality: the adaptive toolbox. Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacquelien, Van Stekelenburg, and Bert Klandermans. 2017. Individuals in movements: a social psychology of contention. Cham: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • John, P. 2003. Is there life after policy streams, advocacy coalitions, and punctuations: using evolutionary theory to explain policy change? Policy Studies Journal 31 (4): 481–498.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, B.D., and H.F. Thomas. 2012. Bounded rationality and public policy decision-making. New York: Routlegde.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kydland, F.E., and E.C. Prescott. 1977. Rules rather than discretion: the inconsistency of optional plans. Journal of Political Economy 87: 473–492.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lieberthal, K., and M. Oksenberg. 1990. Policy making in China: leaders, structures, and processes. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lieberthal, Kenneth G. 1992. Bureaucracy, politics, and decision making in post-Mao China. California: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manion, M. 1985. The cadre management system, post-Mao: the appointment, promotion, transfer and removal of party and state leaders. The China Quarterly 102: 203–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLean, I., and A. McMillan. 2009. The concise Oxford dictionary of politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Mertha, A. 2009. “Fragmented authoritarianism 2.0”: political pluralization in the Chinese policy process. The China Quarterly 200: 995–1012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ostrom, Elinor. 2009. Understanding institutional diversity. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Prenzel, Paula V., and Frank Vanclay. 2014. How social impact assessment can contribute to conflict management. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 45: 30–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poncet, Sandra. 2005. A fragmented China: measure and determinants of Chinese domestic market disintegration. Review of International Economics 13 (3): 409–430.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, Herbert A. 1957. Models of man; social and rational. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xie, Yue. 2012. The Political logic of weiwen in contemporary China. Issues and Studies 48 (3): 1–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhu, Demi. 2012. Policy gap, risk source, and conflict-sensitive social impact assessment. Comparative Social and Economic Systems 2: 170–177.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhu, Demi. 2016. A Study of Conflict-Sensitive Social Impact Assessment on Public Decision-Making in China. Beijing: Science Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhu, Demi. 2014. Building an institutional path to combine rights protection and stability maintenance. Fudan Journal (Social Sciences Edition) 56 (1): 147–156.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Comparative Politics, School of International and Public Affairs, Shanghai Jiaotong University, #1954 Huashan Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China

    Demi Zhu & Shuai Cao

Authors
  1. Demi Zhu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shuai Cao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shuai Cao.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhu, D., Cao, S. Decision-Making and Risk Sources: Key to Source Governance for Social Stability. Chin. Polit. Sci. Rev. 5, 95–110 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41111-019-00126-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41111-019-00126-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation