The Effectiveness of Online Citizen Evaluation of Government Performance: A Study of the Perceptions of Local Bureaucrats in China
| Published date | 01 December 2018 |
| Author | Haina Yan,Yuan Ting |
| Date | 01 December 2018 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0091026018767475 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
research-article2018
Article
Public Personnel Management
2018, Vol. 47(4) 419 –444
The Effectiveness of Online
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Government Performance:
A Study of the Perceptions
of Local Bureaucrats in China
Haina Yan1 and Yuan Ting2
Abstract
Since the 1990s, more local governments across China have launched Internet-
based citizen participation in government performance evaluation. However, we
know little about how it is perceived by bureaucrats whose attitudes are critical in
determining the outcome of this citizen participation. In this article, we present an
analytical framework to identify major factors influencing bureaucratic perceptions of
the effectiveness of online citizen participation. We use survey data collected from
local government bureaucrats in Guangdong Province, China, to test our research
hypotheses. The results suggest that the effectiveness of online civic participation
is primarily a function of citizens’ capacity and motivation, inter-agency difference,
and administrative burden. This article concludes with a discussion about how our
study extends previous research on citizen participation and the implications for
practitioners and future research.
Keywords
online citizen evaluation, citizen participation, Chinese local government, government
performance evaluation, e-government
In recent years, governance reform in developed democracies has led to greater citizen
participation in performance management (Dalehite, 2008; Ho, 2002; Moynihan,
2008). As a result, governments around the world have used information technologies
1South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
2California State University, Fullerton, USA
Corresponding Author:
Yuan Ting, Division of Politics, Administration & Justice, California State University,
Fullerton, 800 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton, CA 92834-6848, USA.
Email: yting@fullerton.edu
420
Public Personnel Management 47(4)
to engage citizens in performance management activities (Chadwick & May, 2003;
Holzer & Kloby, 2005) and to improve citizens’ perceptions of government (Kim &
Lee, 2012; Porumbescu, 2015; Welch, Hinnant, & Moon, 2005). Over the past two
decades, as China transitions from an authoritarian regime to a free-market society,
citizens have increasingly demanded greater participation in government affairs. In
response, many governments have implemented Internet-based citizen participation in
government performance evaluation (Deng, 2011). This practice started initially in
economically developed and coastal regions, where greater demands from the local
business community and citizens have prompted online citizen participation. Over
time, this practice has gradually moved to less developed and inland regions (see
Appendix). The affordance of web-based technology has lowered the barrier for citi-
zen engagement, and more jurisdictions have used the Internet to engage citizens.
However, although online citizen evaluation has become an increasingly widespread
practice in China, a surprising finding in the literature shows that few empirical studies
have been able to investigate the effectiveness of online citizen participation in gov-
ernment performance evaluation.
Public administration scholars and practitioners have long advocated for citizen par-
ticipation to play an increasing role in government evaluation (Denhardt & Denhardt,
2000; Frederickson, 1991; King, Feltey, & Susel, 1998; Schachter, 1995; Vigoda,
2002). However, most discussions about the value of citizen participation overlook an
important constraint–bureaucratic attitude. For example, Kweit and Kweit (1981) argue
that “in the ideal bureaucracy there is no place for citizen participation” and most
bureaucrats believe that citizens do not have technical expertise, are unfamiliar with
bureaucratic routines, and cannot be rational in making their judgments (Kweit &
Kweit, 1984, p. 235). Unsurprisingly, previous research has shown that bureaucratic
attitude affects both the process of citizen participation and the extent of government
efforts to engage citizens. Attitude impacts aspects such as invited participants and
types of governance activities they are invited to participate in (Yang & Callahan, 2007)
as well as the quality of citizen input and whether it has an impact on administrative
decision (Moynihan, 2003). Bureaucratic attitude is especially a relevant factor in
understanding the efficacy of citizen participation in the Chinese context, where bureau-
crats have a critical influence in determining the form and outcome of citizen participa-
tion. Citizen participation is coopted within the state-dominated context, where citizens
lack the experience, knowledge, and motivation to participate effectively in public
affairs. As a result, heavy involvement from bureaucracy is necessary to mobilize the
public when governments implement initiatives such as online citizen participation
(Jing, Cui, & Li, 2015; Piotrowski, Zhang, Line, & Yu, 2009). In this environment,
where bureaucrats at the lower level bear the brunt of implementing new initiatives,
they are likely to perceive online citizen participation as just another administrative
burden imposed by the higher authority (Burden, Canon, Mayer, & Moynihan, 2012).
Furthermore, bureaucrats who perceive online citizen participation as administrative
burden are more likely than not to oppose this initiative or manipulate the system to
further the organization’s own interests, which can ultimately diminish the effective-
ness of online citizen evaluation (Deng, 2011; Deng & Li, 2006; Zhang, 2009).
Yan & Ting
421
Notwithstanding the importance of bureaucratic attitude in citizen engagement,
there is surprisingly little literature to investigate from bureaucratic perspectives the
effectiveness of citizen participation. Therefore, this research contributes to the litera-
ture on citizen participation in two ways. First, we go beyond the normative argument
on citizen engagement to look at online citizen participation. Second, using survey
data collected from local bureaucrats in China, this research develops and tests a
framework to identify major factors that influence the effectiveness of online citizen
evaluation. In section “Literature Review and Research Hypotheses,” we review the
literature and research hypotheses. The data and methodology are described in section
“Data and Methodology.” In section “Empirical Findings,”we present our empirical
findings. Finally, we discuss how this research extends existing literature and the
implications for practitioners and researchers.
Literature Review and Research Hypotheses
This study focuses on online citizen participation in government performance evalua-
tion. Previous research has shown that governments use information and communica-
tion technology, such as websites and other e-government applications to disseminate
public information and provide routine services, but very few have used it to promote
greater citizen participation (Ho, 2002; Kim & Lee, 2012; Moon, 2002; Musso, Weare,
& Hale, 2000; Norris & Moon, 2005; Robbins, Simonsen, & Feldman, 2008; Welch
et al., 2005). In the few cases where governments have used technology to promote
citizen participation, the research shows that citizens do not have the time and motiva-
tion to participate, bureaucrats display skepticism that citizens lack the abilities and
skills necessary to get involved in governance matters, participants over-represent
higher socio-economic groups and leave other groups less represented in the process,
and citizens’ exercise of voice moderates the outcome of citizen participation (Heikkila
& Isett, 2007; Ho & Coates, 2004; Porumbescu, 2015; Robbins et al., 2008). The lit-
erature review above suggests that the Internet has the potential to lower the participa-
tion barrier by providing a more cost-effective tool to engage citizens. However, this
does not always lead to meaningful citizen participation.
This study is based on individual data collected from local bureaucrats to assess
their perceptions of the effectiveness of online citizen evaluation of government per-
formance. Due to data limitations, this study is directed at the individual-level factors
that may influence the perceived effectiveness of online citizen participation. Despite
these limitations, this study represents a step in developing an analytical framework to
identify major factors that may explain the effectiveness of online citizen participa-
tion. We propose the following research hypotheses to address the major factors that
can be expected to influence the effectiveness of online citizen evaluation.
Citizens’ Capacity and Motivation
Previous research has shown that ordinary citizens do not have sufficient knowledge
about government programs, which causes a discrepancy between their subjective
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Public Personnel Management 47(4)
evaluations and the actual performance of public agencies (Brown & Coulter, 1983;
Rainey, 1997; Stipak, 1979). To participate effectively, citizens must become
informed and motivated about public affairs (Frederickson, 1991). However, scholars
have long questioned the knowledge and interest of citizen involvement (Dahl, 1989;
deLeon, 1992; King et...
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