Lin, S. orcid.org/0000-0002-7968-653X, Marsden, G. orcid.org/0000-0003-3570-2793, Pangbourne, K. et al. (1 more author) (2023) Lessons from highway management reforms in a less developed province in China. Research in Transportation Business & Management, 49. 100989. ISSN 2210-5395
Abstract
This article describes how national imaginaries of market reforms designed to accommodate fast-growing Chinese regions, collide with embedded formal and informal governance practices in less developed provinces. Whilst much of the literature examines the implications of new infrastructure on regional economics, the management of existing networks dominates decision-making in these more stagnant economies. Using interviews with key stakeholders involved in highway management in Heilongjiang across the provincial and local levels, this paper explores institutional change and persistence using path dependence and junctures as an organising lens. We find that the manner and timing of institutional changes are shaped by the need for political elites in the territorial governing body to reinforce their authority over the vertical functional systems within the jurisdiction. Institutional persistence beneath the changes demonstrates path dependence, related to (a) the vested interests due to power trading and interpersonal relationships and (b) the defence of personnel-related benefits derived from long-standing public institutions. Political and administrative factors rather than economic and technical factors are paramount in influencing transport management and institutional processes in China's less developed provinces.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
Keywords: | Path dependence approach; Subnational institutional change; Highway management; Inland less developed province; China |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > Institute for Transport Studies (Leeds) > ITS: Sustainable Transport Policy (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > Institute for Transport Studies (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 24 Jul 2023 14:38 |
Last Modified: | 24 Jul 2023 14:42 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.rtbm.2023.100989 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:201812 |