How Different Patterns of Policy Attention Drive Policy Diffusion: Evidence From China's River Chief System

ABSTRACT Despite extensive research on policy diffusion, the ways in which policy attention influences this process remain underexplored. This study addressed this gap by distinguishing between three types of policy attention—political speeches, policy issuance and field visits—and investigating their differential impacts when delivered by central and provincial governments. We constructed a data set related to the adoption of China's river chief system by 276 prefecture‐level cities from 2007 to 2017 and employed event history analysis to systematically examine the above‐mentioned effects. Our findings revealed that field visits have the strongest impact, followed by policy issuance, with public speeches having the weakest impact. Furthermore, policy attention from the central government has a significantly stronger influence on prefecture‐level policy diffusion than that from provincial governments, particularly in the context of field visits. This research extends policy diffusion theory by unveiling the distinct roles of specific policy attention patterns at different government levels. It offers critical insights for governments regarding the most effective means of promoting policy innovation through political signals.