10.7910/DVN/OLJXV5Li, XinYuXinYuLihttps://ror.org/017zhmm22Liu, YYLiuhttps://ror.org/017zhmm22Harvard Dataverse2026Social SciencesLi, XinYuXinYuLi2026-03-162026-03-31493542189text/x-pythonapplication/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet1.0CC0 1.0This study conceptualizes performative collaboration among frontline bureaucrats as superficial collaborative rhetoric and gestures aimed at signaling action rather than achieving substantive outcomes. Using a survey experiment, it examines how top-down pressure and collaborative inertia shape bureaucrats’ engagement in performative collaboration in the Chinese governance context.