{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T02:40:54Z","timestamp":1760150454342,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,20]],"date-time":"2023-11-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1700438400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"research funding of the Department of Service Standardization, China National Institute of Standardization"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JTAER"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Studies on the Chinese government\u2019s online response present diverse voices and perspectives, but consensus cannot be reached. The literature has constantly ignored the construction of an online media mechanism, which includes professional positions and standardized procedures that were designed inside the online media to process information and facilitate an effective government response. Does the reconstruction of an online media mechanism benefit the effectiveness of government response? If so, how? From the perspective of the media mechanism, what are the influential factors for the effectiveness of government response and how do they work to exert this impact? Engaging with the media system dependence theory, I conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with the editor at the Beijing Municipal Government Website and official document drafters at prestigious research institutions. In conversation with the political system theory, multinomial logistic regression was used to analyze the daily government response data covering the period from 2019 to 2020. This article argues that the innovations in the mechanism inside the online media system can outsource some information management functions from the political system to the online media system. These innovations also assist in partial power transfer from the political system to the media system to achieve an effective government response. The political system faces dual pressure, including content pressure and time pressure, regarding its online response.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jtaer18040107","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,20]],"date-time":"2023-11-20T11:31:36Z","timestamp":1700479896000},"page":"2125-2141","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Empowering the Online Media System: The Innovative Route of Effective Digital Government Response in China"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9674-480X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zipeng","family":"Li","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"The Department of Service Standardization, China National Institute of Standardization, Beijing 100191, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Qingguo","family":"Meng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Chadwick, A. (2010). Internet Politics: States, Citizens, and New Communication Technologies, Huaxia Press."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"523","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1540-6210.2008.00888.x","article-title":"Models of E-Government: Are They Correct?","volume":"68","author":"Coursey","year":"2008","journal-title":"An Empirical Assessment. Public Adm. Rev."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kalathil, S. (2003). Open Networks, Closed Regimes: The Impact of the Internet on Authoritarian Rule, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.","DOI":"10.5210\/fm.v8i1.1026"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"436","DOI":"10.1177\/0010414010394773","article-title":"Remote control: How the media sustain authoritarian rule in China","volume":"44","author":"Stockmann","year":"2011","journal-title":"Comp. Political Stud."},{"key":"ref_5","unstructured":"Grossman, L.K. (1995). The Electronic Republic: Reshaping Democracy in the Information Age, Viking."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"255","DOI":"10.1080\/10584609809342369","article-title":"A Not-So World Wide Web: The Internet, China, and the Challenges to Nondemocratic Rule","volume":"15","author":"Taubman","year":"1998","journal-title":"Political Commun."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zheng, Y. (2008). Technological Empowerment: The Internet, State, and Society in China, Stanford University Press.","DOI":"10.1515\/9781503626812"},{"key":"ref_8","unstructured":"Li, Y. (2018). The Study of Government Response Process (zhengfu huiying guocheng yanjiu), The Chinese Social Science Press."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Przeworski, A., Susan, S., and Bernard, M. (1999). Democracy, Accountability, and Representation, Cambridge University Press.","DOI":"10.1017\/CBO9781139175104"},{"key":"ref_10","unstructured":"Starling, G. (2010). Managing the Public Sector, Wadsworth Publishing."},{"key":"ref_11","unstructured":"(2021, March 03). Ifeng. Available online: https:\/\/news.ifeng.com\/c\/404."},{"key":"ref_12","unstructured":"(2021, March 03). Sohu. Available online: http:\/\/news.sohu.com\/20100816\/n274251398.shtml."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"547","DOI":"10.1111\/gove.12393","article-title":"Authoritarian responsiveness: Online consultation with \u201cissue publics\u201d in China","volume":"32","author":"Kornreich","year":"2019","journal-title":"Governance"},{"key":"ref_14","unstructured":"(2021, January 29). MIT. Available online: http:\/\/web.mit.edu\/polisci\/people\/gradstudents\/papers\/Distelhorst_PDA_0927.pdf."},{"key":"ref_15","unstructured":"Shirk, S.L. (2010). Changing Media, Changing China, Oxford University Press."},{"key":"ref_16","unstructured":"(2021, January 22). China File. Available online: http:\/\/www.chinafile.com\/library\/nyrbchina-archive\/china-back-future."},{"key":"ref_17","unstructured":"(2021, January 20). The Central Government of the People\u2019s Republic of China, Available online: http:\/\/www.gov.cn\/zhengce\/content\/2019-04\/18\/content_5384134.htm."},{"key":"ref_18","unstructured":"(2021, January 20). Beijing Municipal Government, Available online: http:\/\/www.beijing.gov.cn\/zhengce\/gfxwj\/sj\/201905\/t20190522_58287.html."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"52","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ssresearch.2016.04.017","article-title":"Selective responsiveness: Online public demands and government responsiveness in authoritarian China","volume":"59","author":"Su","year":"2016","journal-title":"Soc. Sci. Res."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"383","DOI":"10.1111\/ajps.12207","article-title":"Sources of Authoritarian Responsiveness: A Field Experiment in China","volume":"60","author":"Chen","year":"2016","journal-title":"Am. J. Political Sci."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"531","DOI":"10.1111\/gove.12391","article-title":"From Internet to social safety net: The policy consequences of online participation in China","volume":"32","author":"Jiang","year":"2019","journal-title":"Governance"},{"key":"ref_22","unstructured":"(2021, January 15). The Chinese Central Government, Available online: http:\/\/www.gov.cn\/zhengce\/content\/2020-12\/16\/content_5569781.htm."},{"key":"ref_23","unstructured":"De Fleur, M.L. (1975). Theories of Mass Communication, D. McKay Co."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ognyanova, K., and Ball-Rokeach, S.J. (2015). Political Efficacy on the Internet: A Media System Dependency Approach, Communication and Information Technologies Annual, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.","DOI":"10.1108\/S2050-206020150000009001"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"299","DOI":"10.1080\/17544750.2014.926951","article-title":"Channel selection and knowledge acquisition during the 2009 Beijing H1N1 flu crisis: A media system dependency theory perspective","volume":"7","author":"Hu","year":"2014","journal-title":"Chin. J. Commun."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"451","DOI":"10.1080\/17544750.2021.1921820","article-title":"Loyalty to WeChat beyond national borders: A perspective of media system dependency theory on techno-nationalism","volume":"14","author":"Luqiu","year":"2021","journal-title":"Chin. J. Commun."},{"key":"ref_27","unstructured":"Dahl, R.A. (1971). Polyarchy: Participation and Opposition, Yale University Press."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"383","DOI":"10.2307\/2008920","article-title":"An Approach to the Analysis of Political Systems","volume":"9","author":"Easton","year":"1957","journal-title":"World Politics"},{"key":"ref_29","unstructured":"Almond, G.A., and Oleman, J.S. (2016). The Politics of the Developing Areas, Princeton University Press."},{"key":"ref_30","unstructured":"Deutsch, K. (1970). Politics and Government: How People Decide Their Fate, Houghton Mifflin."},{"key":"ref_31","unstructured":"Deutsch, K.W. (1966). The Nerves of Government, Models of Political Communication and Control; Free Press."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"137","DOI":"10.1086\/221953","article-title":"Of Sociology and the Interview: Editorial Preface","volume":"62","author":"Benney","year":"1956","journal-title":"Am. J. Sociol."},{"key":"ref_33","unstructured":"Kvale, S. (1996). Interviews: An Introduction to Qualitative Research Interviewing, Sage."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gunter, B. (2000). Media Research Methods: Measuring Audiences, Reactions and Impact, Sage.","DOI":"10.4135\/9780857028983"},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gubrium, J.F., and Holstein, J. (2001). Handbook of Interview Research: Context and Method, SAGE Publications.","DOI":"10.4135\/9781412973588"},{"key":"ref_36","unstructured":"Easton, D. (1965). A Systems Analysis of Political Life, Wiley."},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"390","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1754-7121.2003.tb01175.x","article-title":"Deutsch re-visited: Government as communication and learning","volume":"46","author":"Mellon","year":"2003","journal-title":"Can. Public Adm."},{"key":"ref_38","unstructured":"(2021, January 15). The General Office of the State Council, Available online: https:\/\/www.gov.cn\/zhengce\/content\/2018-11\/09\/content_5338761.htm."},{"key":"ref_39","unstructured":"(2021, January 15). Beijing Municipal Government, Available online: http:\/\/www.gov.cn\/xinwen\/2019-04\/28\/content_5387054.htm."},{"key":"ref_40","unstructured":"Fountain, J. (2001). Building the Virtual State: Information Technology and Institutional Change, Brookings Institution Press."},{"key":"ref_41","unstructured":"Hughes, O.E. (2004). Public Management and Administration: An Introduction, The Press of the People\u2019s University of China."},{"key":"ref_42","unstructured":"(2021, April 04). The Central Government of the People\u2019s Republic of China, Available online: http:\/\/www.gov.cn\/zhengce\/content\/2017-06\/08\/content_5200760.htm."}],"container-title":["Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/0718-1876\/18\/4\/107\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T21:26:05Z","timestamp":1760131565000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/0718-1876\/18\/4\/107"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,20]]},"references-count":42,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,12]]}},"alternative-id":["jtaer18040107"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/jtaer18040107","relation":{},"ISSN":["0718-1876"],"issn-type":[{"type":"electronic","value":"0718-1876"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,20]]}}}