@phdthesis{Yang2023,
  author    = {Yang, Weiyue},
  title     = {Population Policy and Governance at the Local Level - A Qualitative Research of the Implementation of the Universal Two-Child Policy in China},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-31305},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-313052},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {The universal two-child policy was introduced by the central government of China in 2016 to respond to the country's deteriorating population problems, but it was soon replaced by a three-child policy in 2021 given that it failed to continuously boost fertility in Chinese society. This dissertation empirically investigates the implementation of universal two-child policy in three Chinese major cities. Based on the data collected through semi-structured interviews with leaders of local family planning agencies, it finds that local officials are primarily devoted to coping with the discontent of the bereaved single-child parents (shidu families), which is an unexpected consequence of the historical one-child policy, rather than working on the tasks regarding birth encouragement. The dissertation suggests understanding the implementation of China's population policy within the framework of both historical and rational choice institutionalism. The target responsibility system as an effective tool of the central authority drives local agents to fix their attention at tasks that have larger impact on their career. The shifted focus in the implementation of the universal two-child policy is a result of local officials' emphasis on the task of maintaining social stability. Shidu families are deemed as a salient threat to social order because their discontent with the state support has incurred continuous petitions at both the national and local level, which would severely undermine local officials' career advancement. However, in the meantime, stability maintenance is found to have become alienated as reflected by the rising costs and that it replaced birth support to be the focus of local family planning agents in the universal two-child policy era. Since the conflict between the shidu group and the state is unlikely to be resolved, the future population policy design and enforcement will continue to be constrained by the shidu problem.},
  language  = {en}
}