An Empirical Study on Citizen Policy Participation and the Effect of Rural Revitalization ()
1. Introduction
Implementing the rural revitalization strategy is a major decision made at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. In 2019, Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and government issued the Strategic Plan for Implementing Rural Revitalization in Guangdong Province (2018-2022) to promote the comprehensive revitalization of rural industry, talent, culture, ecology and organization. The CPC Central Committee and The State Council issued the Opinions on the Key Work of Comprehensively Promoting Rural Revitalization in 2022, proposing to uphold and strengthen the Party’s overall leadership over the work concerning agriculture, rural areas and farmers. Guangdong Province has invested heavily in funds related to the provincial rural revitalization strategy. In 2018, the provincial fiscal budget allocated 105.5 billion yuan1. In 2019, provincial-level budgets exceeded 100 billion yuan. In 2020, the provincial finance continued to support the priority development of agriculture and rural areas, with a total investment of 30.3 billion yuan in agriculture-related funds, of which 25.2 billion yuan was coordinated by cities and counties. Rural revitalization should adhere to the Party’s overall leadership and strengthen the organizational system. In 2020, 237,000 newly elected and appointed village officials received rotational training. By March 2022, 33 policies had been introduced to coordinate the development of fiscal and financial services, land and personnel, and industrial employment. 160 counties had been designated as key counties for rural revitalization, and 563,000 village officials had been rotated. Rural revitalization, adhere to the original aspiration of happiness for the people. Citizens should participate in the evaluation of the implementation effect of public policies, because government governance itself emphasizes the interaction between the government and citizens. Citizens’ evaluation of policies directly reflects the needs of citizens themselves, which is conducive to the government to improve its service quality, and is one of the indicators for public departments to evaluate their own work to prove the value of their work. Therefore, from the perspective of citizens, the discussion of the potential variables of the implementation effect of rural revitalization and the empirical investigation of its influence mechanism will provide an important theoretical basis for the effective way of rural revitalization.
The existing research on citizens’ policy perception and public policy implementation mainly includes three aspects: first, the research on citizens’ policy awareness and policy satisfaction. The researchers found that citizens’ policy awareness affects their satisfaction with the policy, Such as targeted poverty alleviation policies (Liu & Wang, 2018), Land right confirmation policy (Liu & Liu, 2019), Land transfer policy (Huang et al., 2018), Agricultural support and protection subsidy policy (Zhou & Zeng, 2019), Policies to support the development of ethnic groups with small populations (Geng, 2019). The second is related research on citizen policy practice and policy satisfaction. The researchers found that citizens’ policy practice affects their satisfaction with the policy, such as Targeted poverty alleviation policy (Shi et al., 2018), Education and poverty alleviation policies for the poor (Cao et al., 2017), Compensation policy for ecological public forest (Du et al., 2019), Policies on medical services for rural residents (Wang & Jiang, 2010), Agricultural technology extension policy (Zhang et al., 2018). The third is the research on the relationship between citizen policy satisfaction and policy implementation effect. It is found that citizens’ satisfaction with policy affects the effect of policy implementation, such as Policies for comprehensive environmental management in rural areas (Wang & Wei, 2018), Integration of urban and rural residents basic medical insurance policy (Wang et al., 2019), A long-distance medical policy (Xu et al., 2019), Housing security policy (Zhu, 2018), Fallow policy (Liu et al., 2018), Relocation policy for poverty alleviation from inhospitable areas (Chang, 2021), Agricultural support and protection subsidy policy (Zhou & Liu, 2018).
However, when analyzing existing research results, it is found that: Researchers are more from the perspective of management, economics, sociology and other citizens to discuss policy knowledge, participation and policy satisfaction, satisfaction and civil policy implementation and policy issues, less involves the relationship between citizen policy participation and public policy evaluation and mechanism research, and ignores the citizen policy participation in play a role in policy evaluation mechanism. Therefore, based on practice theory, this paper uses empirical research method to analyze and discuss the relationship between citizen policy “knowledge”, “do”, satisfaction and the effect of rural revitalization and its mechanism. It should be noted that the effect evaluation of rural revitalization is a system that contains multiple dimensions and indicators. It is impossible to involve all dimensions and indicators when analyzing the relationship between policy participation and the effect of rural revitalization. This paper focuses on the discussion of the impact of citizens and policy effects in the process of promoting rural revitalization. Therefore, the subjects of the survey are selected to be citizens (grassroots cadres) in the rural revitalization policy, who are the participants and beneficiaries of rural revitalization. What is the relationship between citizen policy participation and the effect of rural revitalization? What are their influencing mechanisms?
2. Theoretical Basis and Research Hypothesis
Ming Dynasty thinker Wang Shouren put forward the theory of “unity of knowledge and do”. That is, the truth of knowing things and doing them are inseparable. It is the proposition of epistemology and practice in ancient Chinese philosophy, mainly about cognitive practice. Knowledge is the beginning of action, and behavior is the result of knowledge (Wang, 2004). The theory of practice is the basic point of view of Marxist philosophy, which holds that social practice is the source of knowledge, the driving force of knowledge development, the standard for testing knowledge, and the purpose of knowledge. It analyzes the dialectical relationship between knowledge and practice (Compilation and Translation Bureau of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin Works of the CPC Central Committee, 2012). Mao Tsedong’s On Practice has enriched the epistemology of Marxism. It discusses the relationship between practice and cognition and points out that the standard of truth can only be social practice. Practice, knowledge, practice, and knowledge, this form goes on and on endlessly, and the content of each cycle of practice and knowledge is comparatively advanced to a higher level. It discusses the relationship between practice and cognition and points out that the standard of truth can only be social practice. Practice, knowledge, practice, and knowledge, this form goes on and on endlessly, and the content of each cycle of practice and knowledge is comparatively advanced to a higher level. Mao Tsedong said “Only people’s social practice is the true standard of people’s understanding of the outside world.” (Mao, 1991). Deng Xiaoping said “In practice, the road of understanding truth is constantly opened up, and the unity of subjective and objective, theory and practice, and the concrete history of knowledge and practice is achieved.” In 2018, President Xi emphasized on a forum between teachers and students at Peking University: “What we have learned should not stay in books or just be put in our heads, but should be put into action. We should integrate knowledge and action, promote action with knowledge, and seek knowledge with practice. This is the so-called “the person who knows begins to do, and the person who knows will achieve success.” (Xi, 2018). Fully respect farmers’ will, and play a principal role of farmers in the country revitalization, arouse the enthusiasm of hundreds of millions of farmers Initiative creativity is one of the basic principles of the implement the strategy of rejuvenating the country Citizens know policy practice policy and satisfaction, it is from the contents of the policy of perceptual knowledge to rational participation and satisfaction of spiral process. The unity of knowledge and action leads to conscience. What is conscience? Mencius said, “Knowing without thinking is conscience.” People have not been thought and consideration, on this place to know things, called “conscience”. We will do everything for and depend on the people, come from and go from the people, and maintain close ties with the people. We will always accept their criticism and oversight, and we will always share the same breath, future and heart with the people. People’s happiness is the conscience of our time.
2.1. The Relationship between Policy “Knowledge” and Policy Implementation Effect
Policy “knowledge” refers to the degree to which citizens understand the policy. The higher the degree to which citizens understand the policy, the greater the impact on the implementation effect of the policy. The existing research shows that: the degree of understanding significantly affects the policy effect, such as Citizens to talent policy (Chen & Jin, 2021), National Student Loan Policy (Wang & Wang, 2013). Therefore, this paper puts forward the research hypothesis 1.
Hypothesis 1: Citizen policy “knowledge” has a positive impact on the effect of rural revitalization.
2.2. The Relationship between Policy “Do” and Policy Implementation Effect
Policy “do” means that citizens mobilize their subjective initiative to actively participate in the implementation of public policies, which is not only the test of the policy process and results, but also the effective supervision of the operation of public power in the policy process.
The research shows that citizens’ participation and obtaining economic compensation for farmland protection policy improve their evaluation of the implementation effect of the policy (Zhu & Cai, 2016), the characteristics of the resettlement site positively affect the satisfaction with the policy (Zhou & Li, 2020). When analyzing the relationship between citizen policy implementation and the effect of rural revitalization, attention should be paid not only to the guiding and normative role of public policy, but also to the action response of citizens to the policy. Only when individual citizens form positive evaluation and feedback on specific policies and take actions, can the implementation of policies be effectively promoted and the actual effect of rural revitalization be improved. In the mechanism of the relationship between citizens’ “knowledge” of policies and the effect of rural revitalization. Citizens’ “do” on policies is different from passively accepting policies in the past, it is to mobilize their own enthusiasm, participate in the whole process, and positively influence the outcome of policy implementation. Among the factors that constitute the effect of rural revitalization, citizens’ “knowledge” and “do” of policies are the most critical and prominent aspects of rural revitalization policy ability. Therefore, the following hypotheses are proposed:
Hypothesis 2a: The “do” of citizen policies positively affects the effect of rural revitalization.
Hypothesis 2b: Citizen policy “do” plays an intermediary role in the relationship between policy “knowledge” and the effect of rural revitalization.
2.3. The Relationship between Policy Satisfaction and Policy Implementation Effect
Satisfaction was originally used in the research of customer satisfaction, which refers to the feeling state of a customer after comparing the perceived effect of a product or service with its expectation, which is manifested as satisfied or dissatisfied attitude (Zhang et al., 2018). Scholars found that the satisfaction of farmland protection compensation policy is the primary index to determine the implementation effect of farmland protection compensation policy (Xie & Cai, 2017); In the analysis of targeted poverty alleviation policy, there is a positive correlation between the benefit degree of farmers to poverty alleviation policy and their satisfaction with poverty alleviation policy (Cao et al., 2017). We assume that:
Hypothesis 3a: Citizen policy satisfaction positively affects the effect of rural revitalization.
Hypothesis 3b: Policy satisfaction plays the role of intermediary transmission mechanism in the relationship between policy “knowledge” and rural revitalization effect.
Hypothesis 3c: Citizens’ policy “knowledge” affects their satisfaction evaluation of the policy through policy “practice”, and then affects the effect of rural revitalization, forming a chained multiple mediating effect mechanism of the relationship between policy “knowledge” and the effect of rural revitalization.
3. Research Design
3.1. Profile of the Sample
The subjects in this study were from 80 villages of 26 towns in Guangdong Province. Questionnaires were distributed in the form of household survey, and only one subject was allowed to participate in each household. A total of 360 questionnaires were distributed, and 354 questionnaires were valid (with an effective rate of 98.3%). In valid questionnaires, age: no one ≤ 19 years old, 43 persons are 20 to 29 years old, 141 persons are 30 to 39 years old, 115 persons are 40 to 49 years old, 48 persons are 50 to 59 years old, 7 persons are 60 years old or more; Gender: 258 (72.9%) males and 96 (27.1%) females; Education level: no one is primary school students, 8 persons are middle school students (2.26%), 64 persons are high school students or technical secondary school students (18.1%), 282 persons are college students or above students (71.2%); Political status: 305 persons (86.2%) Party members, 49 persons (13.8%) other types of personnel. The preliminary plan for the relationship between citizens’ policy “knowledge” and the effect of rural revitalization is to analyze the relationship between citizens’ six variables of policy “knowledge”, policy “do” and policy satisfaction of the five major revitalization in rural revitalization and the effect of rural revitalization. After processing the collected data, we found that in the dimension of policy “knowledge”, each variable had a significant impact on the effect of rural revitalization. However, in terms of policy “do” and policy satisfaction, the reliability coefficient a of the data obtained from the civic culture revitalization, talent revitalization and industrial revitalization cannot reach the ideal value. This may be because of three-point Likert scale was adopted to collect data, which affected the reliability test results of the data. In order to ensure the validity of the data, the collected data in cultural revitalization, talent revitalization, industrial revitalization on citizen policy participation were abandoned in the model. Therefore, this paper mainly discusses the relationship between citizen policy “knowledge”, policy “do” and satisfaction with the effect of rural revitalization in three aspects of ecological revitalization, organizational revitalization and funding investment.
3.2. Variable Measurement
Policy “knowledge”: latent variable. For the evaluation of the current situation of citizen policy “knowledge”, this paper started from the understanding degree of grassroots cadres of towns and villages on the specific measures of six aspects in the rural revitalization strategy: the arrangement of rural ecological revitalization at the county level, the support of rural revitalization talents, the promotion of industrial revitalization by cities and counties, the distribution of rural revitalization work team, and the investment of funds. The questionnaire was composed of six questions in a single dimension, and the score was calculated using a 3-point scoring method, and all the questions were scored positively. The reliability coefficient a of three variables selected in this paper is 0.70.
Policy “do”: latent variable. For the evaluation of policy “do”, this paper, from the perspective of grassroots cadres in towns and villages, starts from the implementation of the five major revitalization of rural revitalization, whether the city and county funds are fully disbursed to towns and villages, and self-compiled questionnaires. A single dimension measurement questionnaire composed of 6 questions was developed. The score of the questionnaire was calculated by 3-point scoring method, and all questions were scored positively. The reliability coefficient a of three variables selected in this paper is 0.70.
Policy satisfaction: Latent variable. For the evaluation of policy satisfaction, this paper compiled a single-dimension measurement questionnaire composed of six questions based on the arrangement and effectiveness of rural ecological revitalization work by township and township cadres, the implementation of supporting measures for talent revitalization, support policies in industrial revitalization, methods of agricultural insurance subsidies and loans, and organizational revitalization, etc. The questionnaire used a three-point scoring method to calculate the score. All questions will be scored in the positive direction. The reliability coefficient a of three variables selected in this paper is 0.70.
Rural revitalization effect: significant variable. With reference to the 25 evaluation indicators of rural revitalization in Guangdong Province, this paper calculates the score based on the field investigation and evaluation results of rural revitalization in Guangdong Province in terms of environmental construction, infrastructure construction, village appearance and village style construction, public services, local governance and other aspects.
3.3. Data Processing
Using SPSS21.0 Mplus8.3 software related data management and statistical analysis. Specific data statistics include three aspects: First, on the basis of description and statistical analysis, the feasibility of the data is preliminarily investigated. Secondly, the structural equation technique is used to compare the possible relationship structures between variables. Third, the Bootstrap method is used to test the multiple mediating effects.
4. Empirical Analysis
4.1. Descriptive Statistics of Related Variables
Citizens’ policy “knowledge”, policy “do”, policy satisfaction and the effect of rural revitalization of the four variables are pairwise significant correlation. Among them, the lowest correlation coefficient was the effect of policy “line” and rural revitalization (r = 0.22, P < 0.01), Table 1.
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Table 1. Statistical results of related variables (n = 354).
Note: * denotes P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01, and *** denotes P < 0.001.
4.2. Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Variable Structure
Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on the four variables of citizens’ policy “knowledge”, policy “do”, policy satisfaction and rural revitalization effect to test the structural validity of the relationship between the above variables. The results are shown in Table 2. Among them, the benchmark model includes four variables: citizen policy “knowledge”, policy “do”, policy satisfaction and rural revitalization effect. Alternative model A included three variables: the variables of the combination of policy “knowledge” and policy “do”, policy satisfaction, and rural revitalization effect; Alternative model B included three variables: the combination of policy “do” and policy satisfaction, policy “knowledge” and rural revitalization effect; Alternative model C included three variables: the variables after the combination of policy “knowledge” and policy satisfaction, policy “do” and rural revitalization effect; Alternative model D includes two variables: the combined variable of policy “knowledge”, “do” and satisfaction, the effect of rural revitalization. Through model comparison, it is found that the benchmark model with four variables is significantly better than the other four alternative models in terms of the degree of fit and simplicity. Therefore, it is considered that the benchmark model has good discriminant validity and can better represent the relationship structure between variables.
4.3. Model Test
The non-parametric percentile Bootstrap method with deviation correction was used for statistical analysis (Taylor et al., 2007), The model tests the path coefficients among the mediating variables, 95% confidence intervals for mediating effects, and the results of mediating effect values, as shown in Table 3 and Figure 1. The direct effect of policy “knowledge” on rural revitalization effect is 2.428, indirect effect is the sum of the mediating effect values of each path (Wen et al., 2004), in the mechanism of policy “knowledge” and rural revitalization effect, the total mediating effect value is 0.599, 95% confidence interval is (0.217, 1.008), excluding 0, indicating that the mediating effect is significant, accounting for 19.79%, of the total effect of 3.028. It should be pointed out that the mediating effect value of the relationship between the policy “do” and the effect of rural revitalization is −0.170, and the 95% confidence interval is (−0.0245, 0.4361), including 0, indicating that the mediating effect is not significant.
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Figure 1. A chain-based multiple mediation model of citizen policy “knowledge”, “do”, satisfaction and rural revitalization effect.
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Table 2. Comparison between variable structure models.
Note: ZX is policy “knowledge”; ZC is policy “do”; MY is policy satisfaction; JCZL is grassroots governance.
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Table 3. Mediating effect test and effect quantity.
The results show that citizens’ policy knowledge, policy do and policy satisfaction significantly affect the effectiveness of rural revitalization policies. According to the results of the chain multiple mediation model constructed in this paper, citizen policy “do” affects policy satisfaction, and both are important internal factors for the effect of rural revitalization. Except for hypothesis 2b, the effect sizes of the two mediation paths represented by hypothesis 3b (mediating path through policy satisfaction) and 3c (mediating path through policy “do” and policy satisfaction) are 8.17% and 6.02%, respectively. Among them, the total mediation effect reached 19.79% of the total effect of the model, indicating that the chain mediation model is of great significance in explaining the relationship between citizens’ policy “knowledge”, policy “do”, policy satisfaction and the effect of rural revitalization.
5. Conclusion
Based on the research hypothesis is proposed on the basis of existing achievements for reference, on the one hand we made a model to discuss the relationship of the civil policy “known” and rural revitalization effect, on the other hand, put the citizen policy “do” and policy satisfaction as the intervening variable into this model, to form the preliminary understanding and grasp of the specific mechanism of model.
5.1. Citizen Policy “Knowledge” Positively Affects the Effect of Rural Revitalization
Citizen policy “knowledge” positively affects the effect of rural revitalization, the result is the same as those obtained in previous studies. In the capital investment, ecological revitalization, organization revitalization related policies and work deployment of the public awareness is relatively high; The awareness of policies and work arrangements related to industrial revitalization, talent revitalization and cultural revitalization is relatively moderate; The awareness of land use policy is relatively low, nearly 5% of the surveyed cadres do not understand. This may be because capital investment, improvement of ecological environment and guidance of grassroots party organizations are more easily observed in the implementation of rural revitalization. “Three cleaning”, “three demolition”, “three remediation”, separation of human and livestock, rural housing control, landscaping and greening management and protection effect of livable environment remediation; The construction of village roads, sewage, garbage, toilets and other infrastructure and the revitalization of the ecological environment, such as management and protection, are the achievements that citizens know from all one hears and sees. However, the development of talent revitalization and cultural revitalization is implicit, and the effect is time-consuming. The citizens’ perception of the effect rural revitalization and their mechanism need to be further studied. Talent revitalization, cultural revitalization and industrial revitalization are slow projects, which still need to be publicized and widely promoted for a long time in the future. In a word, citizens’ awareness of rural revitalization strategy affects the effect of rural revitalization, and its impact on the effect of rural revitalization is not only one path.
5.2. Citizen Policy “Knowledge” Affects the Effect of Rural Revitalization through Policy “Do” and Policy Satisfaction, and Policy Satisfaction Plays the Role of Mediating Bridge
People are the key to rural revitalization, we should mobilize citizens to actively participate in policy evaluation. On the one hand, rural revitalization is not a short-term rural construction, but the corresponding policy guidance and support, to form a long-term growth and development mechanism. The current government has carried out a lot of measures, such as investing a large amount of funds to build rural infrastructure, help improve the ecological environment; develop rural tourism, rural characteristics and other industries to help the rural economy; select the first secretary to help grassroots governance, and so on. However, in the field survey, it is found that some measures have local, short-term, cliff-like development status in operation. For example, some open tourist parks in the west of Guangdong are currently in a rotten end and overgrown with weeds. According to the villagers, the contract owner changed or left. For example, the construction of the four small gardens in some towns and villages of Jiang Men City is also built on the basis of demonstration year after year, showing the phenomenon that the four small gardens are on the map and on the record. Mobilizing the subjective initiative of citizens and realizing the ultimate goal of the effect of rural revitalization policy is to make the current government lead more than the participation of citizens and to realize the autonomy of citizens. Although in the model test, the hypothesis that citizen policy “do” as the mediating variable of the relationship between policy “knowledge” and rural revitalization effect is not supported, it does not mean that citizen policy practice does not play a role in the effect of rural revitalization policy. Citizen policy “do” plays its role in an indirect way. In the existing relationship between the government and the people, citizens’ cognition of public policies remains in the “other governance” stage, and they accept the results of policy implementation in whole or in part, ignoring their own rights and obligations as participants in rural revitalization. In the future, in the practice of rural revitalization, actors should be encouraged to participate in “autonomy”, so that they can become a new force in building a better homeland. We will give full play to the advantages of community-level officials in their jobs, implement policies for rural revitalization, publicize the Party’s ideas, implement the Party’s decisions, lead community-level governance, and act on them, and mobilize the people to participate in improving the ecological environment in beautiful rural areas. The satisfaction degree and contribution degree of citizens in the rural revitalization work should be improved, so as to enhance their enthusiasm for the effect construction of rural revitalization.
5.3. Citizen Policy “Do” Affects Policy Satisfaction, and the Two Have a Chain Mediating Effect between Policy “Knowledge” and Rural Revitalization Effect
Rural revitalization is a project of people’s livelihood, which makes rural life undergo systematic changes. The rural revitalization strategy is the key to doing a good job in the work concerning agriculture, rural areas and farmers in the new era. From this paper, we find that citizen policy “do” affects policy satisfaction and thus affects the effect of rural revitalization policy, and the role of policy “do” and policy satisfaction on the effect of rural revitalization policy has the characteristics of weight and sequence. As an important internal factor of policy “knowledge” and the effect of rural revitalization, policy “do” does not directly play a mediating role in the effect of rural revitalization, but it plays a moderating role in the effect mechanism of policy “knowledge” and rural revitalization by influencing policy satisfaction. Therefore, when understanding the relationship between citizen policy “knowledge” and the effect of rural revitalization, it is necessary to fully consider the various influencing factors of citizen policy “knowledge”, policy “do” and satisfaction, and the interaction between them.
6. Discussion
Through the analysis of the results of this paper, we get the following three inspirations for the future practice: first, the scientificity and timeliness of the policy process. While encouraging citizens to participate in the evaluation of the effect of rural revitalization, the important influence of citizens’ policy feedback on policy formulation and implementation should be taken into account. From the citizens’ policy perception, we should find the measures to optimize the policy process in time, so as to accelerate and improve the effect of policy implementation. Second, the main role of citizens in rural revitalization. Citizens should be encouraged to participate actively, timely grasp citizens’ perception of policies, improve citizens’ satisfaction and contribution in rural revitalization work, and then enhance the enthusiasm of individual citizens for the effect construction of rural revitalization. On the one hand, the government should pay attention to the reasons why citizens do not practice the policies under the existing policies and how to solve the problems. On the other hand, it is more important to avoid the phenomenon that may induce citizens to continue to do nothing for a long time, so as to reduce the probability of the rural revitalization effect and the lag of agricultural and rural modernization process caused by the difference of policy perception caused by citizens’ non-participation or formal participation. Third, the promotion process of talent revitalization, cultural revitalization and industrial revitalization in the future still needs strong investment and support from the government. In terms of training and retaining talents, inheriting local culture and developing local industries in a normal way, it still needs a lot of practice and exploration to realize the transformation from “blood transfusion” to “hematopoietic”.
Fund Project
Guangdong Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs “Guangdong Province Rural Revitalization of the Important and difficult Issues and Related Work service Project” (GZSW21200FC2129).
NOTES
1http://gdyjzx.gd.gov.cn/dawenku/fzyj/content/post_2787088.html.