Social stability risk assessment (SSRA) has become the mainstream policy instrument forSocial stability risk assessment (SSRA) has become the mainstream policy instrument forassessing potential risks of large-scale development projects across all sectors in China. Inthis paper, fuzzy qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is used to quantify the impact ofSSRA policy on economic competitiveness across China’s 31 provinces using a SSRA policydataset (2003–2020) and a provincial economic competitiveness dataset (2019–2020).QCA combines Boolean algebra and set theory to identify configurations of conditions thatare necessary or sufficient for a given outcome. Rather than following the mainstream statisticalmethod of developing a single causal model that best fits the data, QCA exploresmultiple concurrent causality. A typology of SSRA policies was developed to guide ouranalysis. The research concluded that to support high economic competitiveness withinprovinces, SSRA policies must be structured around solving social stability problems andaddressing a specific industry issue (e.g., pollution) in a particular industry (e.g., resources).Policies that only include one of these factors or that focus on the performance of governmentofficials were found to contribute to low economic competitiveness. Reorienting thefocus of SSRA policies could support more rigorous risk assessments and enhance economiccompetitiveness, particularly in provinces that host large-scale development projects. Thesefindings have implications for China’s policymakers given their dual objectives of drivingeconomic reform while maintaining a harmonious society.