Digital Transformation and Its Effects on Policy Implementation in Social Assistance by Local Governments: A Case Study from Guangzhou

Faced with a complex and increasingly conflictual landscape characterized by economic instability, political polarization, and challenges related to public finance, the development of welfare states is confronting significant and multifaceted obstacles. In response to these challenges, rapidly advancing digital technologies have been integrated into welfare systems with the aim of enhancing service delivery and improving efficiency, transparency, and accountability. However, existing research primarily focuses on developed democratic nations, creating a gap in empirical examination regarding the extent to which decentralized developing countries can leverage digital technologies to strengthen local government adherence to welfare policy implementation.

This study explores from a multi-level governance perspective whether the introduction of digital technologies into China’s social assistance system can genuinely enhance local governments’ compliance with central policy objectives and mitigate distortions in policy execution. Employing a mixed-methods approach that combines policy analysis, field observations, and in-depth interviews with stakeholders in Guangzhou, the study argues that technology-driven reforms can only partially enhance policy execution. It identifies that local governments’ “hidden actions” persist, indicating that the comprehensive improvement of policy execution relies on institutional development rather than solely on the introduction of technology.

This study not only enriches theoretical understanding of welfare state digitization in the developing world and the politics of technology adoption under multi-level governance but also provides valuable insights for enhancing ongoing digital reforms in welfare delivery in China and other developing or late-developed countries.