Un Paese di Memoria

Tsinghua University released two major evaluation reports on Tuesday detailing the evolution of city hotlines from simple complaint channels into central hubs for urban governance. The publications were unveiled at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Beijing Forum on Swift Response to Public Complaints in Beijing. The documents, dated October 26, 2026, argue that these services are now critical for improving public service delivery and strengthening government coordination globally. The two reports are titled the Evaluation Report on China's 12345 Hotline Services and Governance Effectiveness (2026) and the Evaluation Report on Worldwide City Hotline Services and Governance Effectiveness (2026). Tsinghua University led the compilation process, working jointly with the University of Cambridge for the global study and Peking University for the domestic Chinese study. An international team comprising over 100 experts and scholars from 27 universities and research institutions participated in the work. These institutions spanned six countries, including China, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Both evaluations utilized the Hotline 4G Evaluation Indicator System. This framework covers four primary indicators: Process-Based Governance, Collaborative Governance, Digital Governance, and Responsive Governance. Researchers gathered data through interviews with hotline agencies, public surveys, standardized test calls, and big data analysis. The methodology aimed to assess how hotlines connect public needs with government responses and support interdepartmental coordination. The global report assessed 20 cities located across five continents. The list included Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, New York, Paris, Singapore, and Rio de Janeiro. The assessment relied on 9,300 valid public survey responses, extensive data collection, and detailed case studies. Findings indicate that city hotlines follow diverse development paths based on local institutional environments, governance needs, and technological capabilities. The report categorizes the 20 cities into four distinct development types. Beijing, Dubai, New York, Shenzhen, and Seoul demonstrated balanced development across multiple dimensions, fitting the Comprehensive Innovation type. San Francisco, Bangkok, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Singapore emphasized digital technology, classifying them as Digital and Intelligent-Driven. Buenos Aires, Chengdu, Toronto, Hamburg, Rio de Janeiro, and Rome highlighted multi-stakeholder collaboration. Finally, Amman, Paris, Madrid, and Wuhan placed greater emphasis on responsiveness and public experience. Compared to the first global evaluation conducted in 2024, the report states that the governance performance of city hotlines worldwide has improved significantly. A broader governance ecosystem centered on these hotlines is rapidly forming across the globe. The report focusing on China’s 12345 hotlines examined 100 sample cities. It collected 8,550 valid public survey responses and conducted more than 3,000 valid test calls to 12345 hotlines and related service channels. The study found that institutional foundations for these services are largely established. Service capabilities across different cities have become broadly similar. Consequently, differences in development are now primarily reflected in governance effectiveness rather than basic infrastructure. Key factors determining hotline performance extend beyond a city’s size or general level of economic development. Separate commentary published in the Slovenian newspaper Delo on October 25, 2026, addressed the need for institutional memory in public services. Authors Christopher A. Pissarides and Fadi Farra noted that governments collect vast amounts of data on citizens and users. However, many administrations struggle to define expected policy effects or determine confidence levels in predictions. They argued that additional measurement without institutional memory yields only irrelevant reports. This perspective aligns with the Tsinghua reports' focus on moving beyond mere data collection toward structured governance frameworks. The release of these reports coincides with warnings from economists regarding artificial intelligence. In July, more than 200 economists and AI researchers, including 16 Nobel laureates, warned that AI could trigger an economic transformation larger than the industrial revolution within a shorter timeframe. They stated that governments are currently ill-equipped to manage such a transition. The Tsinghua findings suggest that robust urban governance systems, potentially enhanced by digital tools, are essential for navigating these rapid changes.