|
|
|
| Bringing Narrative back to Policy Implementation: A Case Study of the Policies from Clarity to Ambiguity in Rural Collective Property Rights Reform |
| Gan Tian1 Zhang Lixia2 |
| (1.School of Government, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing 100029;2.School of Government, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006) |
|
|
|
|
Abstract The essence of policy implementation lies in the effective transformation of policy objectives into local practices. Although policies with clarity are intended to achieve efficient execution through well-defined goals, detailed procedures, and standardized guidelines, their implementation often exhibits a degree of ambiguity in complex local governance environments. This study examines the implementation of the “qualification confirmation” policy in the rural collective property rights reform in T Sub-district, exploring the role of narrative strategies in the execution of clear policies. We construct a narrative model of policy implementation based on the dimensions of “subject-strategy-function-outcome”. The findings reveal that policy implementers employ four narrative strategies—narrative framing, narrative translation, narrative negotiation, and narrative simplification—to fulfill distinct functions: meaning empowerment, cognitive reconstruction, emotional adaptation, and normative alignment. Although these strategies contribute to the ambiguity of policy objectives, they simultaneously facilitate the successful implementation of the policy. This study demonstrates that narrative strategies not only serve as communication tools in policy implementation but also function as critical governance resources, endowing policies with flexibility and adaptability. By introducing a narrative perspective into policy implementation theory, this research deepens our understanding of implementers' roles in meaning construction and their narrative logic, offering practical guidance for the design and execution of complex policies.
|
|
Received: 30 May 2025
|
|
|
|
| [1] |
Yang Qinggui. The Legal Limitations and Implementation Approaches for the Non-Economic Functions of the Rural Collective Economic Organizations[J]. journal1, 2025, 64(4): 25-36. |
| [2] |
Zhang Qichun Wang Jian. Fiscal Capacity, Modern State-Building, and the Evolution of Financial Support System for Rural Grassroots Governance[J]. journal1, 2025, 64(3): 33-43. |
| [3] |
Zhao Tan. “Data Formalism” in the Grassroots: Expressions, Causes and Solutions[J]. journal1, 2025, 64(2): 83-91. |
| [4] |
Huang Zhenhua Huang Hongkai. From Pressure to Motivation: Identification and Transformative Path of Pressure in Grassroots Government Performance Appraisal[J]. journal1, 2025, 64(1): 31-41. |
| [5] |
Wang Jingyao Zheng Peng. The Creation and Continuation of Incomplete Property Rights of Farmland in China[J]. journal1, 2024, 63(6): 27-37. |
| [6] |
Xue Qin Zeng Xin. Hot Topics and Cutting-Edge Trends in Rural China Studies over the Past 20 Years (2004-2023)——A Bibliometric Analysis Based on the Core Column of the Journal of Central China Normal University (Humanities and Social Sciences Edition)[J]. journal1, 2024, 63(5): 64-79. |
|
|
|
|