Government-led and Internet-empowered citizen participation in China's policymaking: A case study of the Shanghai 2035 Master Plan

Digitalization has expanded the scope of citizen participation. Nevertheless, there are no conclusive findings on online citizen participation and inclusive policymaking. This study adds in line with the discussion with a fresh perspective of institutional bias. It presents new evidence by examining the process, participants, policy agenda, and sentiments of public opinions from the government-led and Internet-empowered citizen participation regarding the 2017–2035 Shanghai Master Plan. Four findings are reported based on the in-depth case study with text and sentiment analysis. First, the government-led model provides institutionalized opportunities for citizen engagement throughout the policy process, while the Internet-empowered citizen participation is characterized by contingency and ad hoc. Second, the government-led model remains elite-dominated, while the Internet empowers a wider scope of stakeholders with an open and popularized participation platform. Third, the public opinion from the Internet-empowered model often goes beyond or even against the pre-defined official principles and goals. In contrast, the civic discussion in the government-led model influences policy by changing the sequence of policy agenda or providing focus within the official setting. Fourth, citizens, especially the experts, are more likely to give positive feedback in the government-led model than the Internet-empowered approach. These findings confirm and identify the remaining institutional bias that hinders inclusive policymaking in the Internet age. Theoretically, it reminds scholars to examine the institutional arrangements regarding citizen participation carefully. Practically, it indicates that the central government could facilitate inclusive policymaking at the local level by reducing the institutional bias of the government-led approach and utilizing text and sentiment analysis to urge the local government's response to Internet-empowered public opinion.