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公共行政

When Bureaucrats Deviate: Mission Motivation, Autonomy, and Policy Implementation in Thai District Governance

·646 字·2 分钟
Polihot 公共行政 Street-Level Bureaucracy Policy Implementation Mission Motivation Autonomy Thailand
GOV 39/3 2026-06-02 Original When Bureaucrats Deviate: Mission Motivation, Autonomy, and Policy Implementation in Thai District Governance Dan Honig, Eleanor F. Woodhouse Abstract ABSTRACT Drawing on interviews and survey data from street‐level bureaucrats (SLBs) in eight Thai districts, we examine how mission motivation and autonomy combine to shape key SLB behaviors: policy compliance, policy customization, self‐directed action, and pro‐social rule‐breaking. We focus on how SLBs navigate the tension between delivering “up” to Bangkok and delivering “down” to citizens when they perceive these demands to be in conflict. We find substantial variation in how bureaucrats respond to this dilemma, which is potentially mediated by their professional environment (peer and leader interactions) and individual traits (such as rebelliousness and creativity). Leveraging Thailand's unusual combination of high mission motivation and de facto decentralized discretion within a formally centralized system, we show how autonomy can create the space for bureaucrats to prioritize local welfare over strict compliance. In doing so, we highlight the psychological and organizational mechanisms that link mission motivation to SLB behavior and illuminate how de facto decentralization shapes the public administration citizens experience.

Rethinking Budgeting? An Analysis of Budget Theory and Reform for Modernizing Municipal Practice

·627 字·2 分钟
Polihot 公共行政 公共政策 Budgeting Local Government Budget Theory GFOA Public Finance
PAR — 2026-06-02 Original Rethinking Budgeting? An Analysis of Budget Theory and Reform for Modernizing Municipal Practice Emily Boykin, Clifford McCue, David Goldman Abstract ABSTRACT This study examines the persistent gap between budget theory and practice in local governments, using the Government Finance Officers Association's (GFOA) Rethinking Budgeting Initiative as a case study. Analyzing 32 GFOA publications from 2020 to 2024, we identify four key themes in the GFOA's attempt to modernize budgetary decision‐making: public values, behavioral science, coordination and collaboration, and fiscal prudence. Through a narrative synthesis grounded in budget theory, we find normative theories align with reforms emphasizing participatory practices and public values, while descriptive theories underpin traditional fiscal approaches. The endurance of incremental budgeting, despite reformist rhetoric, underscores the challenge of transforming budget practice. Our findings suggest meaningful reform depends on integrating behavioral insights, stakeholder collaboration, and value‐driven goals with theoretical frameworks. Ultimately, this study contributes to scholarly discourse by highlighting opportunities to advance budget theory and improve practitioner engagement, offering a pathway for more adaptive and responsive local government budgeting practices.

Filtered Policy Implementation: Evidence from Rural China

·470 字·1 分钟
Polihot 比较政治 公共行政 中国研究 China Policy Implementation Rural Governance Agriculture Central-Local Relations
JCC — pp. 1-17 2026-06-02 Original Filtered Policy Implementation: Evidence from Rural China Suyuan He, Weiye Wang Abstract Through tracing incidents of agricultural product looting, this paper reveals the political logic behind local governments’ paradoxical behavior of promoting farmland scaling-up while marginalizing smallholders under the potential political threat of deviating from central directives. This dilemma stems from the evolution of bureaucratic evaluation arrangements and broader societal changes. Under increasing pressure on target assessments and supervision, local governments resort to measures including exploiting smallholders’ welfare to fulfil compulsory agricultural production targets, despite the fact that both production and welfare are two-fold of the integral goal of the state’s strategy. These practices have led to the collapse of traditional agricultural communities and heightened conflicts between local residents and nonlocal large-scale producers, reshaping grassroots agrarian production patterns profoundly and irreversibly.

The impact of timebanking on volunteering behaviors

·382 字·1 分钟
Polihot 公共行政 中国研究 Timebanking Volunteering Randomized Experiment Intrinsic Motivation China
PMR — pp. 1-38 2026-06-01 Original The impact of timebanking on volunteering behaviors Khaldoun AbouAssi, Rui Wang, Ge Xin Abstract Global declines in formal volunteering have prompted interest in alternative mechanisms like timebanking. This study investigates the impact of timebanking on future volunteering intentions using a between-subjects randomized survey experiment (n= 361) in Shanghai, China. Participants exposed to a timebanking vignette were nearly three times more likely to express high-frequency volunteering intentions than the control group. This positive effect was most pronounced among frequent volunteers with strong intrinsic satisfaction, but attenuated among self-interested respondents. These findings suggest that institutionalized, non-monetary incentives can increase willingness to participate without undermining intrinsic motivation.