ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Where you are matters: Network position, designed network, and central government agency termination
Liang Ma,
Weixing Liu,
Sicheng Chen,
Tom Christensen,
Liang Ma
School of Public Administration and Policy, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorWeixing Liu
School of Government, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Sicheng Chen
School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Correspondence
Sicheng Chen, School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorTom Christensen
Department of Political Science, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Distinguished Visiting Professor, School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorLiang Ma,
Weixing Liu,
Sicheng Chen,
Tom Christensen,
Liang Ma
School of Public Administration and Policy, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorWeixing Liu
School of Government, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Sicheng Chen
School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Correspondence
Sicheng Chen, School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorTom Christensen
Department of Political Science, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Distinguished Visiting Professor, School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
enThis study synthesizes insights from collaborative network and agency termination theories to investigate how agencies' positions in designed networks impact their survival probability. Using longitudinal data for the central apparatus in China from 2005 to 2020, along with the designed networks derived from 1243 joint tasks arranged by the State Council, we conducted event history analyses to test our hypotheses. Our findings suggest that a centralized network position can significantly reduce an agency's likelihood of termination, while agencies in the periphery of designed networks may be less likely to survive significant restructuring. It is also discovered that stronger agencies, such as larger, economically functioning, or statutorily created ones, benefit more from centralized network positions. These findings underscore the pivotal role played by agencies' positions within designed networks in their survival prospects. As such, agencies should strategically leverage their positions within collaborative networks to mitigate the risk of termination.
Chinese Abstract
zh本研究综合协作网络理论和机构终止理论的见解, 探讨部委机构在设计合作网络中的位置如何影响其生存概率。通过使用2005年至2020年间中国中央部委机构变迁的数据, 以及由国务院安排的1243个联合任务所衍生的设计网络, 我们进行事件史分析以检验研究的假设。研究结果表明, 若部委机构处于设计网络的中心位置能够显著降低机构被终止的概率, 而处于设计网络边缘的机构在重大机构改革中生存的可能性较低。研究还发现, 较强势的机构(比如规模较大、具有经济职能或者由立法机构法定创建), 更能从中心化的设计网络位置中受益。这些发现突显部委机构在设计网络中的位置对其生存前景的关键影响。因此, 部委机构应战略性地改善它们在国务院任务安排中设计网络的位置, 以降低其被终止的风险。
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Supporting Information
| Filename | Description |
|---|---|
| padm13026-sup-0001-supinfo.docxWord 2007 document , 86.3 KB |
DATA S1. Supporting Information. |
Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
REFERENCES
- Adam, C., Bauer, M., Knill, C. & Studinger, P. (2007) The termination of public organizations: theoretical perspectives to revitalize a promising research area. Public Organization Review, 7(3), 221–236. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11115-007-0033-4
10.1007/s11115-007-0033-4 Google Scholar
- Agranoff, R. & McGuire, M. (2001) Big questions in public network management research. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 11(3), 295–326. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.jpart.a003504
- Ahlers, A.L. & Schubert, G. (2022) Nothing new under “top-level design”? A review of the conceptual literature on local policymaking in China. Issues & Studies, 58(1), 2150017. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1142/S101325112150017X
10.1142/S101325112150017X Google Scholar
- Akkerman, A., Torenvlied, R. & Schalk, J. (2012) Two-level effects of interorganizational network collaboration on graduate satisfaction: a comparison of five intercollege networks in Dutch higher education. American Review of Public Administration, 42(6), 654–677. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074011425418
- Ang, Y.Y. (2017) How China escaped the poverty trap. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
- Askim, J., Blom-Hansen, J., Houlberg, K. & Serritzlew, S. (2020) How government agencies react to termination threats. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 30(2), 324–338. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muz022
- Bach, T., Ruffing, E. & Yesilkagit, K. (2015) The differential empowering effects of Europeanization on the autonomy of national agencies. Governance, 28(3), 285–304. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.12087
- Baum, J.A.C. (1989) Liabilities of newness, adolescence, and obsolescence: exploring age dependence in the dissolution of organizational relationships and organizations. Proceedings of the Administrative Science Association of Canada, 10(5), 1–10.
- Beck, N., Katz, J. & Tucker, R. (1998) Taking time seriously: time-series-cross-section analysis with a binary dependent variable. American Journal of Political Science, 42(4), 1260–1288.
- Berardo, R. & Scholz, J.T. (2010) Self-organizing policy networks: risk, partner selection, and cooperation in estuaries. American Journal of Political Science, 54(3), 632–649. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5907.2010.00451.x
- Bertelli, A. & Sinclair, A. (2015) Mass administrative reorganization, media attention, and the paradox of information. Public Administration Review, 75(6), 855–866. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12396
- Bertelli, A. & Sinclair, A. (2018) Democratic accountability and the politics of mass administrative reorganization. British Journal of Political Science, 48(3), 691–711. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123416000077
- Bertelli, A., Sinclair, A. & Lee, H. (2015) Media attention and the demise of agency Independence: evidence from a mass administrative reorganization in Britain. Public Administration, 93(4), 1168–1183. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12190
- Bertels, J. & Schulze-Gabrechten, L. (2021) Mapping the black box of intraministerial organization: an analytical approach to explore structural diversity below the portfolio level. Governance, 19, 171–189. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.12486
10.1111/gove.12486 Google Scholar
- Boin, A., Kofman, C., Kuilman, J., Kuipers, S. & van Witteloostuijn, A. (2017) Does organizational adaptation really matter? How mission change affects the survival of us Federal Independent Agencies, 1933-2011. Governance, 30(4), 663–686. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.12249
- Boin, A., Kuipers, S. & Steenbergen, M. (2010) The life and death of public organizations: a question of institutional design? Governance, 23(3), 385–410. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0491.2010.01487.x
- Borgatti, S.P. & Halgin, D.S. (2011) On network theory. Organization Science, 22(5), 1168–1181. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1100.0641
- Callens, C. (2024) Achieving collaborative innovation by controlling or leveraging network complexities through complexity leadership. Public Administration, 102(3), 936–952. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12958
- Carpenter, D. (2020) On categories and the countability of things bureaucratic: turning from Wilson (back) to interpretation. Perspectives on Public Management and Governance, 3(2), 83–93.
- Carpenter, D. & Lewis, D. (2004) Political learning from rare events: Poisson inference, fiscal constraints, and the lifetime of bureaus. Political Analysis, 12(3), 201–232. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/pan/mph016
- Carroll, B.J., Bertels, J., Froio, C., Kuipers, S., Schulze-Gabrechten, L. & Viallet-Thévenin, S. (2022) Between life and death: organizational change in central state bureaucracies in cross-national comparison. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 88(4), 943–959. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/0020852320964558
- Carroll, G.R. (1985) Concentration and specialization: dynamics of niche width in populations of organizations. American Journal of Sociology, 90(6), 1262–1283. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1086/228210
- Chen, S., Christensen, T. & Ma, L. (2019) Competing for father's love? The politics of central government agency termination in China. Governance, 32(4), 761–777. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.12405
- Chen, S., Christensen, T. & Ma, L. (2023) Reputation management and administrative reorganization: how different media reputation dimensions matter for agency termination. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 33(2), 217–231. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muac028
- Chen, S., Christensen, T. & Ma, L. (2024) Written directives and ministerial tenure in China: a novel gauge for political performance? Journal of Asian Public Policy, 1-20, 1–20. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/17516234.2024.2339078
10.1080/17516234.2024.2339078 Google Scholar
- Christensen, T., Gavrila, S.G., Ma, L. & Ramirez, F.O. (2020) Reputation management by Chinese universities: primary profile and comparative features. Public Administration, 98(4), 1027–1043. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12679
- Christensen, T. & Laegreid, P. (2020) Balancing governance capacity and legitimacy: how the Norwegian government handled the COVID-19 crisis as a high performer. Public Administration Review, 80(5), 774–779. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13241
- Christensen, T. & Laegreid, P. (2021) The demise of an agency director—a puzzling Saga of political control and professional autonomy. International Journal of Public Administration, 44(3), 250–261. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2019.1707224
- J. deLisle & G. Yang (Eds.). (2022) The party leads all: the evolving role of the Chinese Communist Party. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.
- Dommett, K. & Skelcher, C. (2014) Opening the black box of administrative reform: a strategic-relational analysis of agency responses to termination threats. International Public Management Journal, 17(4), 540–563. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/10967494.2014.958805
- Escobar-Lemmon, M. & Taylor-Robinson, M.M. (2005) Women ministers in Latin American government: when, where, and why? American Journal of Political Science, 49(4), 829–844. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5907.2005.00158.x
- Fleischer, J., Bezes, P., James, O. & Yesilkagit, K. (2022) The politics of government reorganization in Western Europe. Governance., 36, 255–274. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.12670
- Fleischer, J., Bezes, P., James, O. & Yesilkagit, K. (2023) Political time in public bureaucracies: explaining variation of structural duration in European governments. Public Administration Review, 83(6), 1813–1832. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13740
- Hammerschmid, G., Van de Walle, S., Andrews, R. & Bezes, P. (2016) Public administration reforms in Europe. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.
10.4337/9781783475407 Google Scholar
- Hammond, T.H. (1986) Agenda control, organizational structure, and bureaucratic politics. American Journal of Political Science, 30(2), 379–420. Available from: https://doi.org/10.2307/2111102
- Hong, S. & Park, N. (2019) Administrative reorganization as a signal: bounded rationality, agency merger, and salience of policy issues. Governance, 32(3), 421–439. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.12384
- Hu, Q., Medina, A., Siciliano, M.D. & Wang, W. (2022) Network structures and network effects across management and policy contexts: a systematic review. Public Administration., 101, 953–972. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12835
- Ingold, K. & Leifeld, P. (2016) Structural and institutional determinants of influence reputation: a comparison of collaborative and adversarial policy networks in decision making and implementation. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 26(1), 1–18. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muu043
- Isett, K.R., Mergel, I.A., LeRoux, K., Mischen, P.A. & Rethemeyer, R.K. (2011) Networks in public administration scholarship: understanding where we are and where we need to go. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 21, I157–I173. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muq061
- James, O., Petrovsky, N., Moseley, A. & Boyne, G. (2016) The politics of agency death: ministers and the survival of government agencies in a parliamentary system. British Journal of Political Science, 46(4), 763–784. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1017/s0007123414000477
- Kapucu, N., Hu, Q. & Khosa, S. (2017) The state of network research in public administration. Administration & Society, 49(8), 1087–1120. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/0095399714555752
- Kaufman, H. (1976) Are government organizations immortal?. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution.
- Kleizen, B. & MacCarthaigh, M. (2023) Nature or nurture? Agency life-cycles as a function of institutional legacy, political environment, and organizational hardwiring. Public Administration Review, 83(6), 1833–1854. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13741
- Klijn, E.-H., Steijn, B. & Edelenbos, J. (2010) The impact of network management on outcomes in governance networks. Public Administration, 88(4), 1063–1082. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.2010.01826.x
- Kuipers, S., Yesilkagit, K. & Carroll, B. (2018) Coming to terms with termination of public organizations. Public Organization Review, 18(2), 263–278. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11115-017-0376-4
10.1007/s11115-017-0376-4 Google Scholar
- Kuipers, S., Yesilkagit, K. & Carroll, B. (2020) Ministerial influence on the machinery of government: insights on the inside. West European Politics, 1-24, 897–920. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2020.1768737
10.1080/01402382.2020.1768737 Google Scholar
- Lee, D. & Schuler, P. (2020) Testing the “China model” of meritocratic promotions: do democracies reward less competent ministers than autocracies? Comparative Political Studies, 53(3–4), 531–566. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414019858962
- Lewis, D. (2002) The politics of agency termination: confronting the myth of agency immortality. Journal of Politics, 64(1), 89–107. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2508.00119
- Liu, I.S. & Yi, H. (2024) Member duality and policy tourism: learning in interlocal policy networks. Public Administration, 102(4), 1532–1557. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12984
- Ma, L. (2017) Central government agencies in China: toward a research agenda. Economic and Political Studies, 5(2), 195–214. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/20954816.2017.1310793
10.1080/20954816.2017.1310793 Google Scholar
- Ma, L. & Christensen, T. (2020) Mapping the evolution of the central government apparatus in China. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 86(1), 80–97. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/0020852317749025
- Maccarthaigh, M. (2014) Agency termination in Ireland: culls and bonfires, or life after death? Public Administration, 92(4), 1017–1037. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12093
- Mahoney, J. & Thelen, K. (2010) Explaining institutional change: ambiguity, agency and power. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- March, J. & Olsen, J. (1983) Organizing political life: what administrative reorganization tells us about government. American Political Science Review, 77(2), 281–296. Available from: https://doi.org/10.2307/1958916
- Markovic, J. (2017) Contingencies and organizing principles in public networks. Public Management Review, 19(3), 361–380. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2016.1209237
- McCubbins, M., Noll, R. & Weingast, B. (1989) Structure and process, politics and policy: administrative arrangements and the political control of agencies. Virginia Law Review, 75(2), 431–482. Available from: https://doi.org/10.2307/1073179
- McCubbins, M.D. & Schwartz, T. (1984) Congressional oversight overlooked: police patrols versus fire alarms. American Journal of Political Science, 28(1), 165–179. Available from: https://doi.org/10.2307/2110792
- Medina, A., Siciliano, M.D., Wang, W. & Hu, Q. (2022) Network effects research: a systematic review of theoretical mechanisms and measures. American Review of Public Administration, 52(7), 513–528. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/02750740221118825
- Meyer, J.W. & Rowan, B. (1977) Institutionalized organizations: formal structure as myth and ceremony. American Journal of Sociology, 83(2), 340–363.
- Mortensen, P.B. & Green-Pedersen, C. (2015) Institutional effects of changes in political attention: explaining organizational changes in the top bureaucracy. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 25(1), 165–189. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muu030
- O'Toole, L.J., Jr. & Meier, K.J. (2004) Public management in intergovernmental networks: matching structural networks and managerial networking. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 14(4), 469–494. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muh032
- O'Toole, L.J. (2015) Networks and networking: the public administrative agendas. Public Administration Review, 75(3), 361–371. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12281
- Pfeffer, J. & Salancik, G.R. (1978) The external control of organizations: a resource dependence perspective. New York: Harper & Row.
- Pollitt, C. & Bouckaert, G. (2011) Public management reform: a comparative analysis. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
- Provan, K.G., Fish, A. & Sydow, J. (2007) Interorganizational networks at the network level: a review of the empirical literature on whole networks. Journal of Management, 33(3), 479–516. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206307302554
- Provan, K.G. & Milward, H.B. (2001) Do networks really work? A framework for evaluating public-sector organizational networks. Public Administration Review, 61(4), 414–423. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/0033-3352.00045
- Provan, K.G. & Sebastian, J.G. (1998) Networks within networks: service link overlap, organizational cliques, and network effectiveness. Academy of Management Journal, 41(4), 453–463. Available from: https://doi.org/10.5465/257084
- Røiseland, A. & Trætteberg, H.S. (2024) Emergency management through enduring collaborative networks: lessons on phases and levels. Public Administration, 102(4), 1728–1744. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12998
- Rolland, V. & Roness, P. (2012) Foundings and terminations: organizational change in the Norwegian State Administration 1947–2011. International Journal of Public Administration, 35(12), 783–794. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2012.715562
10.1080/01900692.2012.715562 Google Scholar
- Salomonsen, H.H., Boye, S. & Boon, J. (2021) Caught up or protected by the past? How reputational histories matter for agencies' media reputations. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 31(3), 506–522. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muaa056
- Schalk, J., Torenvlied, R. & Allen, J. (2010) Network embeddedness and public agency performance: the strength of strong ties in Dutch higher education. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 20(3), 629–653. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mup018
- Siciliano, M., Carr, J. & Hugg, V. (2021) Analyzing the effectiveness of networks for addressing public problems: evidence from a longitudinal study. Public Administration Review, 81(5), 895–910. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13336
- Siciliano, M., Wang, W. & Medina, A. (2021) Mechanisms of network formation in the public sector: a systematic review of the literature. Perspectives on Public Management and Governance, 4(1), 63–81. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/ppmgov/gvaa017
- Stinchcombe, A. (1965) Social structure and organizations. In: J. March (Ed.) Handbook of organizations. Chicago, IL: Rand McNally, pp. 142–193.
- Suchman, M.C. (1995) Managing legitimacy: strategic and institutional approaches. Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 571–610.
- Tian, X. & Christensen, T. (2019) Beyond NPM to post-NPM? A study of China's government reforms over the past 40 years. American Review of Public Administration, 49(7), 855–865. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074019849122
- Van Witteloostuijn, A., Boin, A., Kofman, C., Kuilman, J. & Kuipers, S. (2018) Explaining the survival of public organizations: applying density dependence theory to a population of US federal agencies. Public Administration, 96(4), 633–650. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12524
- Verhoest, K., Boon, J., Boye, S. & Salomonsen, H.H. (2021) How does organizational task matter for the reputation of public agencies? Regulation & Governance, 17, 158–176. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/rego.12441
10.1111/rego.12441 Google Scholar
- Verhoest, K., Roness, P., Verschuere, B., Rubecksen, K. & MacCarthaigh, M. (2010) Autonomy and control of state agencies: comparing states and agencies. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Whetsell, T.A., Siciliano, M.D., Witkowski, K.G.K. & Leiblein, M.J. (2020) Government as network catalyst: accelerating self-organization in a strategic industry. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 30(3), 448–464. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muaa002
- Williamson, O.E. (1981) The economics of organization: the transaction cost approach. American Journal of Sociology, 87(3), 548–577.
- Wollebaek, D. (2009) Survival in local voluntary associations. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 19(3), 267–284. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/nml.219
- Yang, J. & Zheng, X. (2020) Government annual report: decision usefulness, information accessibility and policy communication efficiency—observations from 19 Chinese cities. Policy Studies, 43, 483–501. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/01442872.2020.1724277
- Yesilkagit, K. (2021) Termination, aggregation, or replacement? A competing risks approach to agency transitions. Governance, 34(3), 803–819. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.12532
- Yesilkagit, K., Bezes, P. & Fleischer, J. (2022) What's in a name? The politics of name changes inside bureaucracy. Governance, 100(4), 1091–1106. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12827
10.1111/padm.12827 Google Scholar
- Yi, H., Liu, W. & Ma, L. (2022) Designed networks and the emergence of self-organizing Interlocal learning network: evidence from Chinese cities. Public Administration, 102, 21–39. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12906
