Towards An Attention View Of The Local Government Environmental Policy Implementation

This paper studies the environmental policy implementation behavior of local governments under mandatory indexes.This paper combines the policy implementation theory,attention-based view,and decision theory,uses the two-stage exploratory mixed methods research,begins with qualitative research in the first phase,then conducts a quantitative feature based on the qualitative results.Mixed methods research focuses on the relationship between local government attention and environmental policy implementation behavior.The first phase is qualitative research,a single case study using semi-structured interviews and participatory observation,based on the case of mandatory environmental index policy implementation in Z County,China,to explore the decision-making model of local governments and the environmental policy implementation behavior.The second phase of quantitative research is to empirically test the mechanism of local government environmental attention influencing environmental policy implementation behavior under the inspection systems of the central government for environmental protection by using panel data of prefecture-level administrative regions in China,and the relationship between local government environmental attention and environmental policy implementation.The main contents of the paper are as follows:(1)Based on the attention view,this paper using embedded single case study research Z county environmental policy implementation,try to explain the mechanism of local government' attention influence environment policy implementation from three stages of attention,interpretation,and action.First,local government have the three dimensions of rational actor model,organizational behavior model,and governmental politics model.Second,this paper generalizes focus of attention with good policy decision,situated attention with credit claiming decision,structural distribution of attention with blame avoidance decision.Third,the mechanism of attention's effect on policy implementation transformation mainly focuses on the explanations process of organizational decision.Internal and external context of the organization,the paradox between task multiplicity and limited attention resources under pressurized system influence the “tactic decision making-differential coping”.This paper constructs a local government policy implementation behavior transformation model.(2)Based on the panel data of 269 cities in China from 2011 to 2018,this paper evaluates the effects of the inspection system of the central government for environmental protection on the local government environmental policy implementation by constructing a time-varying difference in differences method and identifies the potential influencing mechanisms.First,the inspection system of the central government for environmental protection significantly promotes the effective implementation of the local government's environmental policy.Second,considering endogeneity,sample selection bias,and further placebo tests,these results are highly robust.Third,the inspection system of the central government for environmental protection improves the environment for local government to make decisions,enhances local government's environmental attention,and ultimately promotes the effective implementation of environmental policies.The research of this paper contributes to understanding the political effect of China's inspection system of the central government for environmental protection and environmental policy implementation practice.(3)Referring an attention-based view of the firm,this paper demonstrates the basic concept of government attention.The framework analyzes the implementation behavior of government public policy,which has unique connotation,value,and significance in the Chinese context.First,under the assumption of bounded rationality of government,government's public policy implementation behavior is the result of organizational guidance and allocation of decision-makers' attention.Second,an attention-based view of the government shows the characteristics of mutual coordination and internal consistency in the three dimensions of attention source,attention structure and attention quality,which is suitable to explain the decision-making logic of public policy implementers under the inter-governmental relations.Third,this paper uses the panel data of 259 cities in China from 2010 to 2018 to explain the superior government's pressure and government scale weaken the positive relationship between environmental attention allocation and environmental policy implementation.(4)Based on pressurized system and an attention-based view of the government in China,this paper uses the panel data of 259 cities in China from 2010 to 2018 to explain the relationship between environmental attention allocation and environmental policy implementation.The results indicate that the environmental policy implementation follows an inverted U-shape as local governmental environmental attention increase.Moderate local government environmental attention can significantly improve the implementation of environmental policies.At the same time,excessive attention contributes avoidance of responsibility under pressurized system,symbolic implementation leads to the decline of policy implementation.This article uses textual analysis and machine-learning technology to measure the government's environmental attention.Meanwhile,this paper contributes to the relationship between environmental attention and local government policy implementation based on the quantitative analysis of attention resources.It provides empirical evidence and suggestions from the environmental policy area.(5)Finally,this paper combines an attention-based view of the government with the theory of administrative subcontracting to further expand the depth and breadth of analysis on the local government's public policy implementation behavior,which from two dimensions of horizontal attention competition and vertical administrative subcontracting.The results show that: First,local government's effective decisionmaking under formal institutional pressure is a necessary condition for successful implementation of environmental policies.Second,the local government environmental attention is the necessary resource for environmental policy implementation.Third,too much pressure on superior government and too large government scale will weaken the effectiveness of attention.Fourth,excessive attention under pressure system will induce local government to avoid responsibility behavior.Therefore,this paper points out three ways to help China's environmental policy implementation: First,strengthen institutional construction and clarify the responsibilities and obligations of all departments in policy implementation.Second,improve the decision-making mechanism and reduce the informal institutional pressure in policy implementation.Third,deepen reform of the administrative system and keep local governments scale.