How local leaders respond to citizen input: Evidence from open administrative data in a Chinese county

Abstract

Nationwide datasets offer significant insights into the responsiveness of the Chinese government, but they lack details on how local leaders, who wield power in the political process, respond. Fortunately, following the open government initiative, a few regions have published leaders’ written instructions (批示) in response to citizen input online. This research note focuses on one such region, analysing all of the more than 800 written instructions from its party secretaries and county mayors that were once made public. The findings show that after acquiring hard-to-obtain information from citizens, local leaders occasionally directed their subordinates to act on that information. Moreover, they addressed long-standing issues of which they were already aware, primarily to demonstrate concern rather than to resolve them substantively. They also gave instructions on issues related to policy objectives currently being prioritized by higher authorities to aid in their fulfilment, as well as issues involving multiple government agencies to prevent buck passing. This study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of government responsiveness and highlights the research potential of diverse administrative data available across different regions. Examining regions with important but rarely disclosed administrative data sheds new light on the inner workings of the Chinese government.