Local governance and health equity

Practical reflections from Chinese crisis governance

Datos Bibliográficos

ID22427868
AutoresTing Zhang (0000-0002-6840-1367, Wuxi Taihu Hospital, autor de correspondencia), Ran Xu (0000-0002-1788-3175, Nanjing Forestry University)
Año2026
Volumen21
Número1
Páginas2704270-2704270
Fecha de publicación2026-12-31
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaGlobal Public Health (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1744-1692 • E-ISSN: 1744-1706
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17441692.2026.2704270
PMID42467188
OpenAlexW7169493484
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas88

This study examines mass testing in three Chinese cities since 2020 as a 'stress test' for local governance. It analyses the governance performance of Shenzhen, Nanjing and Wuxi in terms of efficiency, equity and community resilience. Using Melbourne's pandemic lockdown as a reference case, it discusses the underlying mechanisms linking different governance approaches to health equity outcomes. The study adopts a nested governance framework to examine how governance capacities and policy logics operate across different local contexts. The results indicate that Chinese cities can efficiently complete mass testing within a few days, but face pressures related to health equity and community resilience. Melbourne's lockdown governance emphasised participation and institutional transparency, but advanced policies at a relatively slower pace. This study recommends building a dynamic governance mechanism that better balances efficiency and equity.

China · Corporate governance · Equity (law) · Face (sociological concept) · Local governance · Multi-level governance · Disaster Management and Resilience · Policy Transfer and Learning · Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research