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A large-scale field experiment on participatory decision-making in China

Author

Listed:
  • Sherry Jueyu Wu

    (University of California, Los Angeles)

  • Ke Michael Mai

    (China Europe International Business School)

  • Ming Zhuang

    (Chengdu Academy of Social Sciences)

  • Fangxin Yi

    (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)

Abstract

Can local democratic decision-making in authoritarian environments increase or pacify civic engagement and government accountability? Here we conducted an intervention reaching over 20 million people in China. Communities were randomly assigned such that citizens in treatment communities were invited to deliberate and make collective decisions on how local community budgets were allocated through both in-person and online communication channels (participatory budgeting). We find that participatory decision-making in community budgeting increased a wide range of civic-engagement behaviours outside of the budgeting domain 6 months after the start of the intervention. Residents in treatment communities reported more need for improvement from the central government, providing a potential foundation for seeking accountability from the authoritarian regime. These changes were accompanied by a more positive societal outlook and increased satisfaction in the country’s policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Sherry Jueyu Wu & Ke Michael Mai & Ming Zhuang & Fangxin Yi, 2024. "A large-scale field experiment on participatory decision-making in China," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 8(11), pages 2119-2126, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nathum:v:8:y:2024:i:11:d:10.1038_s41562-024-01964-y
    DOI: 10.1038/s41562-024-01964-y
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