Local governance and health equity: Practical reflections from Chinese crisis governance

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.