Exploring political personalities: The micro‐foundation of local policy innovation in China. Issue 1 (20th January 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lewis, Orion A.; Teets, Jessica C.; Hasmath, Reza
• Is Part Of: Governance. Volume 35:Issue 1(2022)
• Page Start: 103
• Page End: 122
• Publication Date: 2021-01-20
• Subjects: Administrative agencies -- Periodicals; Civil service -- Periodicals; Public administration -- Periodicals; Policy sciences -- Periodicals; 350
• DOI: 10.1111/gove.12573
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0952-1895

Abstract

Abstract: This article argues that policymakers' individual attributes influence their willingness to engage in policy innovation, and that this influence is responsive to, but not determined by, changes in the institutional structure. We derive these findings by employing principal component analysis of original data from surveys of local policymakers in China, to inductively locate different personalities. We find statistically significant personalities that influence a willingness to innovate, and that this influence is responsive to changes such as heightened risk. In addition to parsing the influence of extrinsic and intrinsic motivations on policy innovation, we further find that the traditional risk‐acceptant policy‐entrepreneur personality does not explain innovation well.