Abstract: Grassland ecological governance is a critical measure for ensuring ecological security and promoting the sustainable development of pastoral areas. Based on the theory of social embeddedness， this study utilizes survey data from 410 herder households in Inner Mongolia constructed a five-dimensional framework comprising policy， cognitive， cultural， structural， and relational embeddedness， empirically analyzed the mechanisms influencing herders’ willingness to participate in grassland ecological governance and their willingness to pay （WTP）. The findings indicated that cognition and relationship embedding positively affected the willingness to participate， while cultural embedding exerted a significantly negative effect. Conversely， the WTP was driven positively by cognitive and relationship embedding alone. Furthermore， the ISM model revealed that resource endowments-including years of experience in animal husbandry， total number of family members， grassland contract area， and livestock inventory-constitute the underlying root factors. Their influence was channeled through the key mediating variables of awareness of governance policies and expenditure on forage， which subsequently indirectly affected socially embedded factors such as the perception of policy impacts， recognition of governance necessity， and perceived attitudes of peers. This pathway ultimately shapes both the willingness to engage in neighborhood cooperation and the overall willingness of herders. Heterogeneity analysis showed that the effects of social embeddedness factors varied significantly across different grassland types. It was recommended to implement differentiated policies based on grassland types， enhance economic compensation， strengthen policy communication and community atmosphere building， and effectively leverage social norms to boost herders’ participation motivation.

Key words: Social embeddedness, Ecological governance, Herder, Willingness to participate

摘要： 草原生态治理是保障生态安全、促进牧区可持续发展的关键。本文基于社会嵌入理论，利用内蒙古410份牧户调查数据，构建政策、认知、文化、结构、关系嵌入五维框架，分析牧户草原生态治理参与意愿及支付意愿的影响机制。结果表明：认知和关系嵌入正向影响参与意愿，文化嵌入则负向显著；支付意愿则由认知与关系嵌入正向驱动。ISM模型表明，家庭总人数、草场承包面积等资源禀赋作为深层根源，经治理政策知晓与饲草料支出关键变量，间接作用于政策影响生活感知、治理必要性认识等社会嵌入因素，从而对牧户参与意愿产生影响。不同草原类型区中社会嵌入因素存在差异。建议按草原类型实施差异化政策，强化经济补偿与政策宣传，营造社区氛围，利用社会规范提升牧户参与动力。

关键词: 社会嵌入, 生态治理, 牧户, 参与意愿