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Strategy of Chinese policy entrepreneurs in the third sector: challenges of “Technical Infeasibility”

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Abstract

Studies of policy entrepreneurs have become a staple of public policy research. Very few such studies deal with the circumstances of China. This paper aims to remedy this oversight by exploring the mechanisms of policy change in China. Using John Kingdon’s Multiple Streams (MS) Model, the author develops the “Technical Infeasibility Model.” The paper tests the MS model’s applicability to China by examining strategies put forth by Chinese policy entrepreneurs in the third sector. It considers how they may successfully promote change by using a strategy of proposing a relatively radical policy concept that is politically acceptable and technically infeasible to policy makers. To illustrate such a strategy, this paper considers a case of policy change involving Chinese urban vagrants. The policy on “Detention and Repatriation,” which was first implemented in 1982, was challenged following the Sun Zhigang Incident in March 2003. Shortly thereafter law scholars filed two suggestion letters to the National People’s Congress Standing Committee calling for a constitutionality review of the Detention and Repatriation System. Though it was “technically infeasible” to air such a proposal in China at that time, the State Council initiated action to abolish certain provisions of the Detention and Repatriation System. However, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee did not conduct a constitutionality review.

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Notes

  1. For more on this case, see sohu.com. (http://business.sohu.com/s2006/yiliaogg/).

  2. These two proposals can be seen at the following websites: http://www.nanfangdaily.com.cn/zm/20030522/xw/shxw/200305220822.asp and http://www.legaltheory.com.cn/info.asp?id=3891.

  3. http://www.healthbbs.net/dispbbs.asp?boardID=79&ID=64827.

  4. http://news.huash.com/gb/news/2003-12/26/content_732932.htm.

  5. http://www.china.com.cn/chinese/PI-c/590373.htm.

  6. http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2004-08/10/content_1752258.htm.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dan Guttman, Xue Lan, Wang Zhengxu, Bi Jianhai, Guo Liangping, Thomas Kellogg, and anonymous reviewers for commenting on earlier drafts of this paper. The early version of this article was also presented at The 67th Annual American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) National Conference in April 2006. This research was sponsored by Management Science Program of National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (70673042).

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Zhu, X. Strategy of Chinese policy entrepreneurs in the third sector: challenges of “Technical Infeasibility”. Policy Sci 41, 315–334 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-008-9070-2

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