Policy innovation on building child friendly cities in China: Evidence from four Chinese cities

Abstract

• Four Chinese cities have responded to the Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI). • The CFCI aims to create better societies to promote positive child development. • The four cities differ in their approaches to developing child friendly cities. • Endogenous development needs, competition, and elites drive CFCI policy formation. The Child Friendly Cities (CFC) Initiative was launched by the United Nations in 1996 as a policy innovation, aiming to create better societies to promote positive child development on a global scale. A few cities in China have responded to the call and acted to construct CFCs with varying characteristics. By applying a theoretical model of policy innovation and diffusion, this article analyzes the priorities of Chinese practices in regard to CFC construction. In addition, this article explores the key factors influencing CFC policy innovation in China’s unique context, considering the country’s social environment and political ecology. Based on the evidence drawn from the multi-case comparison of four Chinese cities— Shenzhen, Shanghai, Changsha, and Gu’an— this article first describes the operationalizing and localizing process of CFC initiatives in China, and it then refines a three-stage CFC policy expansion course. It is argued that the endogenous needs of urban development, competition from both political and development requirements, and the elites (both administrative bureaucrats and social entrepreneurs) play vital roles in driving CFC policy formulation and in focusing on CFC as a breakthrough for improving child development.