Institutional Mechanisms in the Implementation of China's Double Reduction Policy: A Narrative Review

Abstract

China's Double Reduction Policy (DRP) seeks to reduce students' workloads and limit private tutoring. The policy responds to public concerns about student well-being and academic stress while promoting balanced development. Recent evidence indicates that the policy has produced some improvements in mental health and subjective well-being, but these changes are small or uneven across policy measures and student groups. At the same time, parents and educators continue to emphasize academic success, creating a tension between formal policy goals and an educational system shaped by examinations and competition. Drawing on a theory-informed narrative review of 13 sources, this paper examines how institutional legitimacy, coupling, technical ceremonies, institutional isomorphism, competing logics, organizational routines, and local interpretation influence implementation. The review suggests that the DRP can generate both substantive changes and visible conformity without fully changing the academic expectations and routines that organize daily schooling. Implementation gaps may therefore reflect not only insufficient enforcement but also the interaction of government mandates, established practices, cultural expectations, and local interpretation. One implication is that evaluations of the DRP should consider students' experiences and distributional consequences alongside visible measures of compliance.