Coping with Competing Institutional Logics During Policy Implementation: Evidence from China

Abstract

The policy implementation literature has paid increasing attention to street-level bureaucrats’ coping behaviors. However, the literature is remarkably silent on the institutional antecedents of coping behaviors. This paper sets out to assess the effect of competing institutional logics on individual coping behaviors. It focuses on the environmental protection logic and economic growth logic during the environmental policy implementation in the Chinese context. Based on the analysis of interview and archival data, we found that environmental protection logic increases street-level bureaucrats’ workload and responsibility, and the economic growth logic makes enforcement officials lack power, resources and incentives. These contradictions generate unclear responsibilities in different bureaus and increasing tasks, limited resources and greater pressure for enforcement officials with fewer rewards, leading to the coping behaviors of street-level bureaucrats.