Abstract: To shed light on the drivers of the diffusion of government chief data officer (CDO) systems，this study constructs a theoretical analysis framework for the diffusion of the government CDO system based on neo-institutionalism theory， resource slack theory， and organizational adaptation theory， combined with local government practice. Using csQCA method， this paper analyzes the motivations and mechanisms behind the diffusion of the government CDO system across Chinese cities. The study finds that the diffusion of the government CDO system is not the result of a single factor but the interplay of multiple factors. Three types of conditional configurations are identified， i.e. pressure-adaptation type， which is driven by public demands and technological application capabilities for local government adoption; adaptation type， that is， local governments with high data governance capabilities and technical application capabilities will actively adopt the government chief data officer system to adapt to the digitalization trend; pressure-resource type， that is， the combined effects of urbanization rate， public demand， and the level of development of the digital economy will promote local governments to adopt the government CDO system.

Key words: chief data officer(CDO); policy diffusion; data governance