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The Rural Informatization Policies in China: The Power Dynamics and Policy Instruments

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Information for a Better World: Normality, Virtuality, Physicality, Inclusivity (iConference 2023)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 13972))

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Abstract

Rural informatization in China has developed rapidly in recent years. However, there are still significant differences in the rate of informatization of rural and urban areas resulting from the historical resources imbalance. Existing research is limited in studying the text of China’s rural informatization policies. To understand the power dynamics and instruments in policies, content analysis and frequency counts were used in this study. Research results find that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs is China’s leading rural informatization policymaker, but contributions are also made by other government agencies. Policy implementation is led by government departments with the assistance of non-governmental stakeholders. The adopted policy instruments have evolved from supply-side and environmental considerations to form a coordinated combination of supply-, environmental-, and demand-side instruments. These findings provide an understanding of the underlying power dynamics of current policy and assist the formulation of future policy. Moreover, these findings provide new perspectives that can improve the efficiency of policy implementation and maximize policy benefits.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A1X1, Canada

    Xiaoqian Zhang

  2. Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, Sichuan, China

    Feng Yang

  3. University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Yi Wan

Authors
  1. Xiaoqian Zhang
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  2. Feng Yang
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  3. Yi Wan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xiaoqian Zhang .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. iSchool Organization, Berlin, Germany

    Isaac Sserwanga

  2. Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

    Anne Goulding

  3. University of Missouri, Chicago, IL, USA

    Heather Moulaison-Sandy

  4. University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Jia Tina Du

  5. University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    António Lucas Soares

  6. Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    Viviane Hessami

  7. University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA

    Rebecca D. Frank

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Zhang, X., Yang, F., Wan, Y. (2023). The Rural Informatization Policies in China: The Power Dynamics and Policy Instruments. In: Sserwanga, I., et al. Information for a Better World: Normality, Virtuality, Physicality, Inclusivity. iConference 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 13972. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-28032-0_45

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-28032-0_45

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-28031-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-28032-0

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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