System Construction And The Optimization Of Lacal Government Policy-making Mechanism In China

In the past three decades, the development of contemporary China has been a compelling achievement. However, nowadays, China is facing severe challenges. As of whether China can retain its achievement, the key is.the government. From the perspective of the world, the government is important for the development of a nation. Yet the point is a good government. Development needs the support of a good government and its governing system, and the premise of a good governing system is a well-structured policy-making mechanism. Since 1980s, the reform of decentralization has broadened the policy-making space of local governments and enlarged their influence in the development of China. Aiming to realize a sustainable development of economy and a scientific regional development, local governments must reform and perfect their policy-making mechanism to promote their management system and thus achieve an effective operation of that system.Since the era of reform and opening-up, along with the gradual promotion of the reform of Chinese political structure and local governing system, the policy-making mechanism of local government has experienced a series of science- and democracy-oriented changes. However, there are still many thorny problems with Chinese local government policy-making mechanism Even in Jiangsu province and many other economically highly developed regions in China, in the policy-making process of local governments, power is greatly centered, transparency is not satisfied, public participation and expert advising is lacked, and monitoring mechanism is still imperfect. The core of those issues of Chinese local government policy-making system is the institutions, which are always imperfect and managed badly. Therefore, effective system construction is the base for the optimization of Chinese local government policy-making mechanism. Jiangsu province typifies the development of China. Since the era of reform and opening-up, Jiangsu has discovered a characteristic path to develop ahead, harmoniously and scientifically. Jiangsu also typifies the governing and policy-making mechanism of Chinese local government. To investigate the issue of the optimization of local government policy-making mechanism, taking Jiangsu as the example, we can analyze the inner relationships between development and local government, among local governments themselves and between local governing and the optimization of local government policy-making mechanism, and explore the lessons and problems within the practice and reform of such mechanism. In this paper, we. will first investigate Jiangsu province as a typical example that has succeeded in practicing local government policy-making, and reveal the problems with its policy-making mechanism. Then, we will figure out the necessity and path of enhancing system construction, further reforming and perfecting local government policy-making mechanism and realizing the optimization of such a mechanism. In turn, we will enunciate the specific systems needed to realize the optimization of local government policy-making mechanism, the significance of these systems, their supply, the functioning of already-existed systems and their problems. Therefrom we can find the solution to perfecting related systems and guarantee their effective functioning. This paper is developed in six chapters.Chapter One—Introduction. It addresses the problems and enunciates the background, significance, basic ideas and methods of studying Chinese local government policy-making mechanism.Chapter Two—Core Concepts and Theoretical Foundation. It focuses on differentiating and analyzing several core concepts as the mechanism, frame, systems and mode of government policy-making.Chapter Three—Current Situation and Problems with Chinese Local Government Policy-Making Mechanism-Based on the Investigation of the Practice of Jiangsu Province. It takes Jiangsu Province as the example to investigate the current situation and problems with Chinese local government policy-making mechanism. It provides practical bases to optimize such a mechanism and further raises questions that need to be studied.Chapter Four—System Construction:The Foundation to Optimize Local Government Policy-Making Mechanism. It enunciates the significance and specific content of enhancing and forcing the optimization of Chinese local government policy-making mechanism. Systems themselves are important and system construction is the premise, foundation and core task of government policy-making mechanism. To reform and perfect this mechanism and realize the optimization of it, we should plan and build up systems to foster such optimization. Such systems mainly consist of systems for public participation, expert consultation and demonstration system, collective policy-making of major issues and policy-making responsibilities, etc.Chapter Five—Practical Supply for Chinese Local Government Policy-Making System. It systematically collates and investigates the current situation and achievements of the supply for Chinese local government policy-making system. It mainly addresses on three aspects—theory, law and practice—to analyze the supply and achievements of the systems for policy-making pattern for major issues, reflection of public ideology, public hearing, information publication, expert consultation and demonstration and policy-making responsibilities.Chapter Six—Development of Chinese Local Government Policy-Making System. It investigates how to continuously and gradually reform and perfect the policy-making system based on the already-existed systems in order to foster the optimization of local government policy-making mechanism and the development needed for such optimization, including perfecting the systems for policy-making pattern for major issues, public participation, information publication, expert consultation and demonstration and investigation of policy-making responsibilities. To develop those systems effectively, we need to overcome the institutional inertia in systems and mutual dependence.Experiences and theories both show that, for the optimization of Chinese local government policy-making mechanism, systems are the foundation, and the construction and development of systems are the key point. Building up the systems and perfecting them basing on the development of practice are the premise and constitute a necessary condition. In fact, systems do exist, and in a certain degree they are abundant in certain periods and from certain aspects. Many regions, including Jiangsu, are continuously exploring to construct and perfect related systems to enhance the optimization of local government policy-making mechanism. However, the fact that such a mechanism is still problematic shows that to realize the optimization, it is not enough to only have necessary arrangement of systems. While building up well-structured systems, we should also create a cultural atmosphere that respects systems and regards systems as the priority. We should obey the spirit of systems and enhance the administration of systems. Based on the development of the spirit and the intensification of the administration of systems, not only the completion, we should ensure an effective functioning of a democratic and scientific government policy-making mechanism in order to enhance the quality of local government policy-making and push local governing toward righteousness, and this is a necessary prerequisite for China to regain a miracle in its development. Besides fully perfecting the arrangement of formal systems and continuously reinforcing system construction, a question that needs to be further discussed is how to foster the spirit, which suits the systems that forces local governments to optimize their policy-making mechanism and which ensures such systems to function effectively.