Proto-institutional work: the “special treatments for special matters” in institutional transition
ISSN: 1750-614X
Article publication date: 13 April 2022
Issue publication date: 20 January 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine an important mechanism in the policy-led institutional transitions in China, namely, Te Shi Te Ban (Special Treatments for Special Matters) – an institutional device that facilitates policy implementation. The discussions are contextualized based on the latest chapter of China’s institutional transition, known as the reform initiative of Fang Guan Fu (i.e. the FGF reform: delegate power, streamline administration and optimize government services), which is a policy regime introduced in 2018 to improve the state-market relationship for better socioeconomic development.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the theoretical lens of proto-institutions and institutional work and using real-life examples from mass media, this perspective paper examines the effects of the Special Treatments in the institutional transition under the FGF Reform.
Findings
The Special Treatments are the proto-institutions purposively adopted by the regulators in China to innovate, supervise and renovate the rules and norms during policy implementation. They produce both incremental and radical institutional effects which allow for a more efficient and effective policy-led institutional transition.
Originality/value
This study contributes to institutional theory in the Chinese management context. Foremost, this study introduces the concept of proto-institutional work and shows how proto-institutions can serve as a mechanism to support and manage the process of institutional transition. In addition, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to study the FGF Reform – the latest reform initiative in China and theorize an under-researched but important mechanism in its institutional environment – the Special Treatments for Special Matters.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Prof Cherrie Zhu, Dr Ying Lu and anonymous reviewers for their insightful feedback. The authors also thank the research assistance provided by Shuting Yu and Melody Meng. The corresponding author acknowledges the financial support by Auckland University FRDF, Grant number 3720052.
Citation
Yan, Z.J., Luo, J. and Chen, Z. (2023), "Proto-institutional work: the “special treatments for special matters” in institutional transition", Chinese Management Studies, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 425-441. https://doi.org/10.1108/CMS-05-2021-0188
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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