Abstract: Local agency and effective policy implementation have long been central issues in the modernization of state governance, and they are essential requirements for addressing unknowns, uncertainties, and various risks and challenges. In the face of emerging governance challenges, how localities creatively implement major and demanding tasks deserves attention. The creative implementation of public policies refers to the process whereby implementing actors continuously adapt policy content and implementation methods in response to changes in real-world problems and implementation conditions, thereby ensuring the effective achievement of policy goals. This study selects 13 national street-level service and management innovation pilot zones as observation cases, analyzes how local governments, driven by complex implementation contexts, utilize the elements of policy implementation to break through implementation constraints and engage in creative implementation behaviors involving policy reproduction and mechanism re-innovation. The findings indicate that two pathways-policy innovation through policy design, policy mix, and policy adaptation, and mechanism innovation through leveraging functional department authority, optimizing resource allocation, and harnessing digital technology-contribute to the realization of policy implementation. The study demonstrates that creative implementation aligns well with the Chinese local context, providing insights for further enriching policy tools and promoting effective policy implementation.

Key words: creative implementation, policy innovation, mechanism innovation, local agency, innovation pilot zones