Crisis Rhetoric and Policy Change in China (Governing China in the 21st Century)

This book explores how China's political system responds to crisis. A crisis is an episode whose impact cannot be controlled merely by astute on-the-ground incident management, particularly in cases involving widespread doubt about the legitimacy of established policy paradigms or the political order as a whole. Crisis can create "political windows" for advocacy groups challenging established policies in pluralist democracies. The political battle between competing definitions of an uncertain and ambiguous situation among the various actors provides them with crisis-induced opportunity space for dramatic policy change. However, the process of crisis-induced policy change, mainly by crisis framing, in non-west regimes like China has not been adequately addressed. As China's leadership foregrounds legitimacy in "victory" over COVID-19, and a new era of climate change disasters begins, this dynamic model of crisis and recuperation will offer food for thought for scholars of Chinese and global politics. Yihong Liu is assistant professor in School of Public Administration and Policy, Renmin University of China. He was born in Chongqing in 1984 and got a Public Administration Ph.D. degree from Utrecht University's School of Governance in 2019 Feb. During his Ph.D. studies, he made a short visit to London University's School of Oriental and African Studies in 2014. Now, he is Vice-Editor of Public Administration and Policy Review Journal (in Chinese) and Member of Board Committee of Risk, Disaster, and Crisis (in Chinese). He is hosting a special issue of Public Administration Reform in New Era in Public Performance Management Review. His research focuses on crisis management and policy process Preface Acknowledgments Contents Abbreviations List of Figures List of Tables 1 Understanding Crisis-Induced Policy Changes in China Crisis and Policy Change The Core Role of Policy Elites in China How Did Policy Elites Exploit Three Mega-Crises in China? What Will Be Learned from This Book? Structure of This Book References 2 Toward Understanding Crisis Exploitation in China Introduction Exploring the Role of Policy Elites in Crisis Exploitation Theory The Importance of Perception Framing Strategies by Policy Elites in China? Strategies of Framing by Policy Elites During Crises The First Framing Point: Significance—How Bad Is the Situation? The Second Framing Point: Causality and Responsibility—Why Did This Occur, and Who Is to Be Held Responsible? The Third Framing Point: Proposed Solutions—What Should Be Done to Avoid the Reoccurrence of a Similar Tragedy? Exploring Factors that Influence the Strategy Choices of Policy Elites Situational Factors and Policy Elites’ Propensities Temporal Factors and Policy Elites’ Propensities Summary References 3 Three Cases and Qualitative Thematic Analysis Three Mega-Crises from 2002 to 2012 Definition and Data of Policy Elites References 4 SARS Pandemic Crisis as a “Window of Opportunity” Crisis Response to the Creeping SARS Virus Black Box Phase: From Secret to Public National Campaign Phase From Crisis Response to Crisis Exploitation Significance of the SARS Epidemic: From Denial to Acknowledgment Exogenous Causality and Endogenous Responsibility Claims Change-Oriented Policy Exploitation Toward a Positive Crisis Exploitation Strategy Major Policy Changes During and After the SARS Crisis New Paradigm: Scientific Outlook on Development Health Policy Reforms Remarkable Progress in Healthcare Policy Rapid Improvement in Epidemic Policy Summary Evolution of the Emergency Management System Initial Impacts: Emergency Management in the Public Health Domain Spillover Effect: Comprehensive Emergency Management System Beyond Public Health Major Changes in Abstract Goals and Norms After the SARS Crisis Factors Influencing Policy Elites’ Choice of Crisis Exploitation Situational Factors and Active Propensity for Crisis Exploitation Temporal Factors and Active Propensity for Crisis Exploitation Conclusion References 5 Wenchuan Earthquake Disaster Without Exploitation Crisis Response to the Sudden Mega-Earthquake National Disaster Relief Meetings Policy Elites’ Disaster Relief Activities Framing the Wenchuan Earthquake: No Crisis Exploitation Significance Framing: Acknowledgment Dominates Exogenous Causality and Deflecting Policy Responsibility No Explicit Policy Alternatives, No Crisis Exploitation Minor Policy Changes in the Wake of the Wenchuan Earthquake Amendments to the “Law on Protecting Against and Mitigating Earthquake Disasters” Legitimization of New Functions in the “Law on Fire Prevention” Institutionalization of Disaster Recovery Policies in a Legal Form Minor Changes Involving Policy Instrument and Setting Modifications Factors Influencing Policy Elites’ Choice of Conservative Strategies Situational Factors Inducing a Conservative Attitude to Crisis Exploitation Temporal Factors Inducing a Conservative Attitude to Crisis Exploitation Conclusion References 6 H1N1 Pandemic Crisis Without “window of Opportunity” Crisis Response to the Exogenous Virus First Stage: Aggressive Containment Strategy Second Stage: From Containment to Mitigation Framing the H1N1 Crisis: No Crisis Exploitation Significance of the H1N1 Epidemic: From Acknowledgment to Silence Exogenous Causality and Avoiding Policy Responsibility Claims No Crisis Exploitation Minor Policy Changes After the H1N1 Crisis Factors Influencing Policy Elites’ Choice of Conservative Strategies Situational Factors Inducing a Conservative Attitude to Crisis Exploitation Temporal Factors Inducing a Conservative Attitude to Crisis Exploitation Conclusion References 7 Explaining Variance of Crisis Rhetoric and Exploitation Comparing the Framing Strategies of Policy Elites in the Three Cases Starting with a High-Profile Crisis Response Understanding the Definition of Crisis Significance Interpreting Causal Stories and Policy Responsibility Crisis Exploitation: Proposing Explicit Policy Alternatives Explaining the Variance in Crisis-Induced Policy Change Contextual Factors Influencing Policy Elites’ Framing Strategies Situational Factors: Type of Crisis and Historical Record of Policy Temporal Factors: Timing of Crises in the Political Life and Career References 8 Crisis Exploitation and Framing in Non-western Regime Implications for Theory Development Extension of Crisis Exploitation Theory Beyond Western Democratic Settings A Leadership Perspective: Understanding Chinese Policy Elites A Policy Process Perspective A Crisis Politics Perspective Implications for Practice Emphasizing Sociopolitical Aspects of a Crisis in Practice Integrating Framing Strategies into Crisis Management Capacity Seizing Crisis-Triggered Policy Opportunities A Future Research Agenda References Appendix A List of Abbreviations Appendix B Index