Leadership mobility, debt pressure and financialised policy diffusion: the case of the public–private partnership in China
Abstract
The public–private partnership (PPP) has been increasingly adopted in China as a financialised policy for regional development. Via dyadic event history analysis, the influence of leadership mobility and local debt pressure on its diffusion across 329 prefecture-level cities in the period 2009–18 is investigated. The results indicate that by rotating cadres’ experience in previous jurisdictions, the knowledge and information channels between previous and current jurisdictions promote PPP policy diffusion. Moreover, higher local debt levels in new jurisdictions increase the PPP policy adoption. These findings improve our understanding of the roles of leadership mobility and debt-driven dynamics in the diffusion of financialised policies.
Fields of Study & Subjects
China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance
Policy Transfer and Learning
International Development and Aid
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Regional Studies
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Volume
- 60
- Issue
- 1
- Publication date
- 16 April 2026
- Language
- EN