Regulatory transparency and citizen support for government decisions: evidence from nuclear power acceptance in China

ABSTRACTThis study examines the effect of transparency as a governance mechanism on citizen support for controversial governmental decisions to public facilities. Building on the government transparency literature, this article argues that regulatory transparency has a double-sided meaning of regulatory enforcement and rule violations. Due to the ambiguity inherent in regulatory performance information, citizens may interpret disclosed information as a reflection of prevalent rule violations and thereby reduce support for relevant public facilities. Furthermore, the negative association between regulatory transparency and citizen support is contingent on citizens’ use of social media. We test these arguments in the nuclear energy regulatory domain using original, nationally representative survey data and an independent environmental regulation transparency index in China. Findings reveal that regulatory transparency reduces citizen support for proposed nuclear power programs. We also find that regulatory transparency is particularly influential for respondents with relatively higher levels of social media usage. These findings highlight the dilemma that governments face when they seek to enhance policy support through transparency in the digital age.KEYWORDS: Regulatory transparencycitizen supportgovernment decisionssocial medianuclear energy AcknowledgmentsWe would like to thank anonymous reviewers for all the constructive and insightful comments.We are grafeful for helpful comments on earlier drafts of the paper from Jing Zhao, Hanzhang Liu, and Youlang Zhang. We extend our gratitude to scholars who provided feedback at conferences of AP-PPN, PMSA, and PMRC since 2018.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 For more information on worldwide nuclear energy policies, see the website of the International Atomic Energy Agency: https://www.iaea.org/news.2 See media report ‘Chinese Scramble to Buy Salt as Radiation Fears Grow’. CNN, March 18, 2011, http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/17/china.salt.scramble/index.html.3 See replies to the post ‘People in Fangchenggang oppose the construction of Bailong Nuclear Power Plant, please respect public opinion’, Hongdou Forum, May 4, 2022, https://hd3g.gxnews.com.cn/viewthread.php?t=17820210&.Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 72304100 ]; Yangfan Project of Shanghai Science and Technology Commission [grant number 23YF1410100], Chunhui Plan Cooperation and Research Project, Ministry of Education of China [grant number HZKY20220070]; The Key Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China: “Research on the reformation and innovation of national climate governance system towards carbon neutrality” [grant number 72140007].Notes on contributorsJuan DuJuan Du is an Associated Professor at School of Public Administration, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China. Her research focuses on policy process, policy analysis and environmental policy. Her research has been published in Public Administration, The China Quarterly, Public Performance & Management Review, International Public Management Journal, among others.Xufeng ZhuXufeng Zhu is Professor and Dean at the School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, China. His major research interests in China studies are the policy process, think tanks, and public governance. He is the author of seven books in English or in Chinese. His recent publications include articles in Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Public Administration Review, Public Administration, Governance, Policy Studies Journal, Sustainable Development, and so on.