Abstract:

Policy experimentation is a crucial mechanism deeply rooted in China's public policy system,standing as one of the keywords in China's contemporary public administration. Experimentation-based policyprocesses in China significantly differ from the processes in Western countries, as it bypasses extensive poliey discussions regarding agenda setting and scheme selection. The government authorizes selected localities to practice anew policy on a trial basis before its formal implementation. The appropriateness of vague policy objectives are ex-amined as instruments are explored and pathways investigated to achieve policy goals. Policy experimentation re-duces the possibility of policy disputes leading to unresolved issues and decreases the adjustment costs and potentialrisks of implementaiton. It has become a vital source of adaptability in Chinese public policy. Although policy ex-perimentation may not yield the expected results, China's current structural conditions and institutional foundationssupport its overall effectiveness. ln pursuit of building China 's independent public administration knowledge base,further research should clarify the concept of policy experimentation，reveal the multiple logics behind it, and con-struct principles for conducting policy experimentation.

Key words: public policy, policy experimentation, pilot, independent knowledge system