How does public-private collaboration reinvent? A comparative analysis of urban bicycle-sharing policy diffusion in China

The public–private collaboration process reinvents itself during policy diffusion. To reveal the cooperative-reinvention process, this study integrates theories of policy reinvention and collaborative governance to develop a framework outlining the interplay between initial conditions, learning, the reinvention process, the governance structure, and outcomes of reinvention. This study uses the framework to conduct an exploratory in-depth case study of Mobike urban bicycle-sharing service in China to examine such interplay. Findings showed that the combinations of leadership, formalization of cooperation mechanisms, and centralization of governance structure led to reinvent outcomes of institution innovation and content innovation. •This study develop a framework outlining the interplay between starting conditions, learning, the reinvention process, governance structure, and outcomes of reinvention.•The combinations of leadership, formalization of cooperation mechanisms, and centralization of governance structure led to reinvent outcomes of institution innovation and content innovation.•Compared to the government-response type, the government-driven type spurs more policy reinnovation.