Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
Home> Volumes> Volume CHR Vol.107> Article
Research Article

Motivations and Mechanisms of Government-Led Digital Platforms in China: A Case Study of Staggered Peak Travel in Wenzhou

Bin HuUniversity of Westminster*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

This study aims to explore how public services at the local level have undergone digital transformation under the guidance of local governments, selecting the "Staggered Peak Travel" system as the core case. By situating this case within the theoretical context of platform governance, the research seeks to elucidate how the tripartite interaction between government, enterprise, and society contributes to the adoption, maintenance, and controlled evolution of such platforms. The primary research question addresses the motivation for local governments to design and lead multi-party platforms. Using a qualitative case study approach, this research analyzes the underlying logic and practical processes of this government-led digital transformation, providing empirical evidence for the "inside-out" perspective of China's digital governance.

Keywords: Staggered Peak Travel; Platform governance; China's digital governance
Published: May 11, 2026
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2026.33480
Volume: CHR Vol.107
pp. 173-179
Download PDF

References

  1. Gawer, A. (2022) Digital platforms and ecosystems: remarks on the dominant organizational forms of the digital age. Innovation, 24(1), pp. 110–124. Available at: https: //doi.org/10.1080/14479338.2021.1965888.
  2. Chen, L. et al. (2022) Governance and Design of Digital Platforms: A Review and Future Research Directions on a Meta-Organization. Journal of Management, 48(1), pp. 147–184. Available at: https: //doi.org/10.1177/01492063211045023.
  3. Stapleton, K. (2022) The Rise of Municipal Government in Early Twentieth-Century China: Local History, International Influence, and National Integration. Twentieth-Century China, 47(1), pp. 11–19. Available at: https: //doi.org/10.1353/tcc.2022.0011.
  4. Ma, L. (2017) Performance management and citizen satisfaction with the government: Evidence from Chinese municipalities. Public Administration, 95(1), pp. 39–59. Available at: https: //doi.org/10.1111/padm.12275.
  5. Gawer, A. (2021) Digital platforms' boundaries: The interplay of firm scope, platform sides, and digital interfaces. Long Range Planning, 54(5), p. 102045. Available at: https: //doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2020.102045.
  6. He, Y. (2024) Chinese digital platform companies' expansion in the Belt and Road countries. The Information Society, 40(2), pp. 96–119. Available at: https: //doi.org/10.1080/01972243.2024.2317058.
  7. Gu, T., Harrison, T. M., Zhu, Y. (2020). Municipal government use of social media: an analysis of three Chinese cities.
  8. Institute of Industrial Economics of the NAS of Ukraine and Petrova, I. (2024) Digital Platform for Managing Investment Projects within the "Government-Business-Society" Relations Based on Partnership. Economic Herald of the Donbas, (4 (78)), pp. 183–189. Available at: https: //doi.org/10.12958/1817-3772-2024-4(78)-183-189.
  9. Ball-Rokeach, S. J., & DeFleur, M. L. (1976) A dependency model of mass-media effects. Communication Research, 3(1), pp. 3–21. Available at: https: //doi.org/10.1177/009365027600300101.
  10. Wang, X., & Lee, Y. (2020) Understanding users' social media dependence: A media system dependency perspective. Computers in Human Behavior, 105, p. 106213. Available at: https: //doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.106213.
  11. Yuan, J. E. and Zhang, L. (2025) From Platform Capitalism to Digital China: The Path, Governance, and Geopolitics. Social Media+Society, 11(1), p. 20563051251323030.
  12. Yang, J. and Li, X. (2024) Digital Government Construction and Common Prosperity in China: Effect and Transmission Channel. Sustainability, 17(20), p. 9047. Available at: https: //www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/20/9047.
  13. Miao, M. (2024) Rule by Algorithm: The algorithmic nudging in public service delivery. Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, 63(3). Available at: https: //www.jtl.columbia.edu/s/03_CTL_63_3_Miao.pdf.