Knowledge communities and policy influence in China

Abstract

How do citizen groups influence policy, particularly in political contexts thought to lack grassroots inputs into the policymaking process? Predominant explanations focus on bargaining and mobilization around interests and identities, neglecting the role of ideas. Emerging scholarship shows how knowledge—or epistemic power—shapes political decision making. This paper applies these advances to the Chinese context to uncover how knowledge communities impact policy and governance. The paper draws on extensive longitudinal field research embracing Chinese NGOs, local officials, and policy research bodies. It presents three cases of cross-sector collective knowledge generation within the Chinese context. In these cases, communities comprised of combinations of NGO staff, villagers, academics and officials interact around specific policy issues, generating knowledge and spurring policy innovations. The cases highlight the porous nature of sectoral boundaries that enable the formation of cross-sector communities, suggest an expanded notion of epistemic expertise and a broader conceptualization of knowledge production. In this way, the paper identifies mechanisms by which knowledge about development intersects with power structures and is then diffused.