Policy instruments, Administrative Burden and Residents' Willingness in Co-production
Description
Residents’ willingness to engage in co-production is closely tied to policy interventions, yet the underlying mechanisms of this relationship remain insufficiently explored. Taking household waste sorting as the observation subject, This study investigates the relationships among policy instruments, administrative burden, and residents' willingness to engage in co-production, with a specific focus on analyzing the mediating role of administrative burden. Using a survey experiment method, this study yields three key findings. First, residents' willingness to participate in different types of co-production varies, exhibiting a gradual decline from passive compliance and active compliance to co-design, co-assessment, and co-delivery. Second, the effects of policy instruments on residents' co-production willingness differ significantly: information publicity tools are the most effective; incentive tools only positively influence active compliance; while prohibitive and directive tools show no significant impact. Third, administrative burden plays a mediating role in the impact of policy instruments on residents' willingness to co-produce. Both information publicity and incentive policy instruments can enhance residents' willingness to engage in co-production by reducing their administrative burden. Governments and communities should fully account for the influence of administrative burden, rationally adjust policy instruments, lower residents’ compliance costs, and mobilize residents in a targeted manner to engage in the co-production of public services.
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Steps to reproduce
This study conducts empirical study by using the method of survey experiment. First, present the instructions and a brief background on waste sorting policies. The survey experiment utilized a single-factor between-subjects design, dividing participants into four groups based on different type of policy instruments: control group, information publicity group, incentive group and prohibitive and directive group. Participants were randomly assigned and presented with corresponding scenario texts (in Table1). After reading completion, we conducted a manipulation check. Subsequently, we measured administrative burden and co-production willingness. Finally, we collected participants' demographic variables. The online questionnaire was distributed via the Credamo platform because it offered advantages of large-scale survey reach and random assignment. Independent variables comprise three policy instruments: information publicity tools（IPT）, incentive tools (IT) , and prohibitive and directive tools (PDT). In waste sorting contexts, informational tools refer to posters, flyers, and public lectures; incentive tools refer to economic rewards like points-for-goods exchanges; prohibitive and directive tools refer to fines and warnings issued by law enforcement agency and supervisors. The dependent variable is residents' co-production willingness of waste sorting, including five stages: passive compliance, active compliance, co-assessment, co-design, and co-delivery. This study designed a co-production willingness scale based on actual behaviors in household waste sorting scenarios (measured using 5-point Likert scale where 1=very unwilling and 5=very willing). This study divides the administrative burdens in household waste sorting into three dimensions: learning costs, compliance costs and mandatory costs. Drawing on existing research about administrative burdens, the magnitude of administrative burdens can be assessed through multidimensional measurements of subjective perceptions. This study developed an administrative burden scale according to the context of household waste sorting(measured using 5-point Likert scale where 1=very disagree and 5=very agree). Beijing possesses a certain foundation in household waste sorting and community governance. Therefore, this study takes Beijing residents as research subjects. Data for the study was collected through Credamo, a well-known online survey platform. The survey organization uses a proprietary panel of respondents. The questionnaire was collected between December 13, 2024, and March 24, 2025. The anonymity and confidentiality of the participants were guaranteed, and participation was completely voluntary.
Institutions
- Beijing Normal University