Promoting Policy Implementation Through Demonstration Program Construction
研究通过分析中国国家食品安全示范城市项目，揭示示范项目如何通过识别绩效相关示范、动态调整参与者选择标准等机制促进政策执行，对政策制定者和项目管理者有参考价值。
ABSTRACT Implementation programs, such as demonstration programs (DPs), have garnered significant attention in both research and practice. Existing literature on DPs predominantly focuses on their impact on participant performance, overlooking the mechanisms through which DPs shape policy implementation processes. This study investigates how DPs are systematically constructed to facilitate broader implementation by disentangling their core design requirements. Through a mixed‐methods analysis of China's National Food Safety Demonstration City program, the research identifies that DPs ensure the demonstration function and program scalability through recognizing performance‐relevant demonstrations and dynamically adjusting participant selection criteria from effectiveness to relevance. They provide participants with reputational incentives and incorporate quality measures that safeguard and enhance demonstration quality with evolving priorities. These adaptive strategies strengthen participants' implementation efforts, stimulate program enrollment, and garner support from local authorities. This research advances understanding of policy implementation and offers practical insights for optimizing the deployment of demonstration‐based instruments.