Making Platform-based Public Participation Work: Evidence from Digital Participatory Budgeting in Chengdu

Advancing public participation through digital tools is an important issue throughout the world, with many countries leveraging technology to engage citizens in the decision-making processes. Although existing research on digital governance in China often emphasizes government empowerment and the digitization of services, there is limited attention to citizen empowerment from a bottom-up perspective. Methodologically, much of the existing literature adopts a normative approach that elucidates ideals without sufficient empirical examination of how digital platforms can effectively incorporate broader public demands, facilitate deliberation, and support participatory policymaking, oversight, and evaluation.

This study fills this gap by investigating citizen engagement throughout the entire budgeting process in Chengdu, China, via a newly launched digital platform which is open to over 20 million residents for the collective distribution of more than 1.4 billion RMB. By analyzing data from over six million anonymous users on the platform, we assess the extent of public participation across the various budgeting procedures. Furthermore, we combine data from two rounds of original surveys to explore those factors that influence both a willingness to participate and actual participation behavior, as reflected in the digital footprint data.

Our findings indicate that the digital platform significantly enhances public involvement in the budgeting cycle, in particular by promoting self-expression of community needs. Key factors influencing citizens' willingness to articulate their demands include perceived empowerment through technology and technological self-efficacy. Additionally, while both internal and external political efficacy play mediating roles in facilitating digital participation, external political efficacy emerges as the primary determinant of individual engagement. This study aims to illuminate those pathways that promote more inclusive and deliberative public participation through digital technologies in China.