How institutionalized feedback works: Online citizen complaints and local government responsiveness in China
Howard H. Wang,Edmund W. Cheng,Xi Chen,Hai Liang — How institutionalized feedback works: Online citizen complaints and local government responsiveness in China (2025)Howard H. Wang; Edmund W. Cheng; Xi Chen; Hai Liang · 2025 · Article · abstract (complaints get more responsiveness)DisputedSource attached · not independently reviewedCLM-1095 · as of 2026-10-30 · about: China since 2012: recentralisation under Xi Jinping · Author: Polity Atlas editorial team
“Local officials in China respond more to online complaints than to other citizen requests, but much of this responsiveness is performative, aimed at satisfying superiors rather than resolving problems.”
Context. Both 2025 studies find responsiveness driven by top-down pressure; they differ on how substantive it is. Neither finds a channel for contesting policy itself.
Evidence that supports
2Mechanical Responsiveness: China's Online Petition System
Jieren Hu,Xuan Gong,Yun Zhao — Mechanical Responsiveness: China's Online Petition System (2025)Jieren Hu; Xuan Gong; Yun Zhao · 2025 · Article · abstract (mechanical responsiveness)Evidence that contradicts
0No counter-evidence recorded.
Context
Sources of Authoritarian Responsiveness: A Field Experiment in China
The evolution of policy experimentation in China
Status history
No earlier revisions.
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