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Explora: Environment
and Resource The development of the river chief in Nantong and Huzhou

the transfer literature but also in the study of how lower- occurs. In short, policy transfer always involves changing the
level governing units design and implement policies in policy operating context. This means that a policy innovation
authoritarian policy regimes. As demonstrated, with the that produces improved performance in the original models
proper motivation, learning can and does occur within cannot be guaranteed to produce the same outcome in the
authoritarian governing institutions, and this learning can new setting, particularly if the motivations for the transfer
be shared not only internally but also has the potential to are not aligned with harder forms of learning.
transfer outside the Chinese governing system.
While these findings are robust, we offer three
5. Conclusion suggestions for future research based on our findings. First,
those interested in policy transfer and how it relates to policy
The development of the river chief system in China can leaning and modification should start to engage in point-
provide insights into the policy learning and transfer spoke studies. More specifically, transfer studies in China
processes occurring in authoritarian systems. For this should start to look at how a single model is transferred
study, two “most different” jurisdictions were selected to see and transformed (or not) across multiple jurisdictions
how and why the transfer of a core model led to different (e.g., municipalities, provinces, villages). This will better
outcomes. This study broadens the way policy transfer and enable researchers to understand the hidden factors in the
learning have been studied in China by examining how two policymaking processes that influence decision-making
different jurisdictions engaged in the transfer process of a and policymaking at lower levels of government as they
core model. Because we examined point-spoke transfer, function in the hierarchical structures of the state and
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one of the primary lessons to emerge from the study is that party in China. Second, while we have focused on an area
even when jurisdictions operate under the same centralized with a degree of freedom to alter and develop a policy
governing system, the institutional environment cannot model, similar studies should be conducted in areas where
guarantee that the transfer of policy innovations will lead to freedom is less apparent. This could help better explain
the same model emerging across jurisdictions. the role of system-level factors in the transfer process.
This finding suggests a second major conclusion that has Third, while a range of studies investigate different levels of
been emerging within the transfer literature: when examining governance in the transfer process, more work needs to be
policy transfer, policy learning (both what is learned and how done in China. This research should involve not only how
the agents of transfer are engaged in the learning process) policies move across governing levels (and bodies), but
becomes an important variable in what gets transferred. In also how different provinces engage in the transfer process.
this, the better the agents of change understand their own This should help researchers and policymakers understand
needs and the environment they are operating in, the more how governance operates in the Chinese setting.
likely they are (even in authoritarian systems) to engage in Overall, through the two representative cases of
hard learning, and the harder the learning is, the more likely replication and hybridization, our study of the river chief
policy transfer will result in success. system attempts to break the stereotypical perception of policy
Third, when engaging in and studying instances transfer in authoritative countries as an undifferentiated
of policy transfer, it is important to understand one’s replication. This study also reveals the experience of policy
environment; it is just as important to understand what learning under Chinese hierarchical interactions that
is being transferred. While it is possible to copy a model endowed policy innovations with situational adaptability,
successfully, it is unlikely that the model will bring the same which is undoubtedly of theoretical value to the study of
success that drew policymakers to it when implemented policy transfer. This suggests future studies should focus not
into a new environment. As such, when engaged in policy only on what was transferred, but also on how it occurred
transfer, the more models that are examined, the better and the motivations driving the process. These motivations
they are understood technically and tacitly, hence the are often embedded in institutional structures that shape
better the policy will be developed once it is introduced by not only what is possible but also what is perceived to be
those engaged in the transfer. appropriate during policy transfer and development.
Fourth, while seldom discussed in the transfer literature, Acknowledgments
the motivations and structural boundaries that restrict
and shape decisions of those involved in the transfer are None.
vital. Not only can motivations derail or encourage more Funding
advanced forms of learning and policy development, but
when viewed through system constraints and facilitators, This research was supported by the Youth Project of the
these motivations can help to explain the type of transfer that National Social Science Fund of China (No. 24CZZ006).

Volume 2 Issue 3 (2025) 11 doi: 10.36922/EER025110018