![Sample our Urban Studies journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/110826/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Urban-Studies.jpg"})
Abstract
Theory on the strategic use of knowledge in planning large infrastructure projects is comparatively well-developed in the fields of public policy and urban/transport planning for Western democracies. But how policymakers make use of knowledge and what position policy analysts hold in non-Western countries still remains largely unknown territory in the literature. This article begins to explore this topic by studying two urban transport projects in the Chinese city of Dalian. Based on empirical evidence, the article concludes with a number of preliminary but notable differences between Western countries and China in terms of the administrative mechanisms underlying the strategic use of knowledge in policymaking. We found that Chinese institutional incentives with regard to cadre evaluation and promotion channels largely constitute the motivation of politicians to use knowledge strategically. Additionally, the wider social and administrative cultures in China, including a command-and-control tradition and a high level of power distance create a basis for the strategic use of information as well as the manipulation of analytical data.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes on Contributors
Rui Mu is an associate professor at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Dalian University of Technology, China.
Niek Mouter is a postdoctorate researcher at TU Delft's Transport & Logistics Group.
Martin de Jong is Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Professor of Urban and Infrastructure Development in China at the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of Technology, and 1000 Talent Program Professor of Public Policy at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University, China.
Notes
1. The trigger of Bo Xilai's downfall was the Wang Lijun Incident. It is beyond the scope of this article to discuss the broader context of this major political scandal. In China, not much was reported on this, giving most of the statements made on the topic the status of mere rumors. However, international media covered the events to a much wider extent. Readers can consult the following sources for more information:
China Daily: http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-07/25/content_16829580.htm; http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-08/26/content_16919231.htm; http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-08/24/content_16918540.htm; Sina News: http://news.sina.com.cn/z/wanglijun/; BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/search?q=Bo%20Xilai.
2. This information on the detailed process of traffic demand forecasting on the LRT-3 project in Dalian cannot be found in any published material. The authors obtained this information through face-to-face interviews as well as Internet instant messaging with the experts from the Transport Research Center at Tsinghua University and the engineers from the Transport Planning Institute at Dalian Maritime University.
3. This information on the processes of feasibility study and central approval for the LRT-3 project in Dalian has never been published. Here the evidence in this sub-section was collected by the first author through doing interviews with the engineers at Dalian Maritime University.
4. This information on the process of the generation of the BRT concept in Dalian and the on-the-spot styled decision-making on the adoption of this concept was obtained from interviews with the engineers at Dalian Maritime University.
5. This information on the reasons for the failure of the BRT projects in Dalian was collected from doing interviews with the engineers at Dalian Maritime University, the planners from Dalian Urban Planning Institute, and the policy-makers from Liaoning Department of Construction and the Dalian Bureau of Transport.