City Government’s Adoption of Housing Adaptation Policy Innovation for Older Adults: Evidence From China

Objectives Utilizing policy innovation and diffusion theory, this study aims to explain why city governments adopt housing adaptation policies that primarily benefit older people based on the case of China. Methods The data are drawn from an event history data set of a housing adaptation policy for older people collected from 283 Chinese cities from 2010 to 2018. Piecewise constant exponential models are utilized. Results The results indicate that cities facing greater internal pressure and a higher political status are more likely to adopt a housing adaptation policy for older people. Policy adoption by neighboring cities could further facilitate this process. Discussion Policy innovation and diffusion theory provide a useful framework for this study. That is, the Chinese city government’s adoption of housing adaptation policy for older adults is initially driven by local needs and then accelerated by interactions among neighboring governments.