Managing national expert and advisory committees in the Chinese policy advisory system

The study examines the management of national government-appointed expert and advisory committees (EACs) in China, focusing on their role in generating alternative policy advice and influencing policy processes under the lens of the policy advisory system (PAS). Based on content analysis and case studies, it finds that rules are, in general, designed to facilitate national EACs to produce and incorporate alternative policy advice. However, on many occasions, the management of national EACs has not maintained a balance between relevance to policymakers and their institutional autonomy, as well as between collective problem-solving and representative capacity in providing alternative policy advice. The management of these EACs’ membership and advisory activities by the appointing authority could constrain their capacity to integrate grassroots perspectives into policy advice. The cases of family planning policy changes and dynamic-zero-COVID-19 policy changes demonstrate that when the policies are implemented from the Party center through strict political accountability measures, top political leaders can open up other venues within the PAS, beyond the ministerial EAC, to solicit and utilize alternative policy advice. In such cases, timely decision-making through political learning by political authorities is needed to address uncertainties and conflicts within the PAS.