Study on the Influences of Inter-Governmental Information Flow and Interdepartmental Collaborative Supervision on Pork Quality: A Case Study in China

Abstract

To study the influences of the degree of interdepartmental collaborative supervision on the behavioral strategy selection of pig farmers, pig slaughterers, and pork processing manufacturers in the pork supply chain system, this study established a three-party evolutionary game model involving pig farmers, pig slaughterers, and pork processing manufacturers based on the social co-governance framework by focusing on the interdepartmental information sharing mechanism and cooperative governance. Here, we examined how the degree of collaborative supervision among government departments influences the behavioral strategy selection of these parties by focusing on key mechanisms such as information sharing and interdepartmental collaborative governance. Our findings revealed that within a social co-governance system, the strategic choices of the three entities in the pork supply chain closely correlate with the coordination level of collaborative supervision among government departments, particularly through information-sharing mechanisms. Additionally, the strategies are influenced by market-based contract supervision among entities, consumer reporting intensity, and the collaborative governance capabilities of the government, market actors, and consumers. Higher levels of social co-governance are associated with fewer risky links in the pork supply chain and reduced overall risk. Key factors affecting the behavioral strategy selection of the subjects in the pork supply chain include interdepartmental collaborative governance among government departments (e.g., optimizing random inspection frequencies, adjusting economic penalties, and disclosing enterprise market credit information via information sharing mechanisms), consumer complaint probabilities, and the intensity of mutual supervision among enterprises. Therefore, to enhance pork supply chain quality and mitigate risks, it is crucial to enhance the coordination of collaborative supervision among government departments, encourage consumer reporting, and improve market-based mutual supervision mechanisms among upstream and downstream subjects in the supply chain.