From media participation to collaborative governance: a multi-level framework of participatory communication in China based on a systematic review

This study conducts a systematic review of fifty-seven Chinese empirical studies on participatory communication published between January 2007 and January 2025. Anchored in the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) 2020 framework and drawing data from CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) and CNKI Scholar databases, this review aims to categorize and synthesize the conceptual trajectories, research layers, and institutional variations of participatory communication in the Chinese context. Through iterative coding and framework analysis, the study proposes an “Embedded Multi-Level Participation Model,” which integrates theoretical insights from Carpentier’s access–interaction–participation schema and culturally embedded media practice. The review classifies existing scholarship into three analytical frameworks based on different social operation levels: (i) media participation (micro), which examines how various media types (folk, community, mass, and digital) structure participation through technological affordances and within editorial constraints; (ii) civic engagement (meso), which explores symbolic, deliberative, and affective participation in digital public spheres, particularly among youth and marginalized users; and (iii) collaborative governance (macro), which analyzes how participatory communication operates as an interface between state-led initiatives and bottom-up mobilization in development, policy alignment, and cultural governance. Findings highlight the hybrid nature of participatory communication in China, where user agency, platform design, and institutional boundaries interact to shape differentiated participatory outcomes. This review not only maps the empirical landscape of Chinese participatory communication research but also identifies structural blind spots in existing frameworks and proposes three directions for future research: comparative media typologies, longitudinal participatory dynamics, and algorithmic governance.

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