A Study Of Local Government Guidance From The View Of Governance

Since 1990s,"less government, more governance"has become the leading trend in governmental reform across the globe. Within the overall framework of public administration theory, local governance has become a significant component of the multi-level administrative structure of a modern society, alongside international, regional and state administration.Taking the basic theory of local government guidance as the ground and starting point and Suzhou as the study case, this paper looks at the relations between Suzhou local government and different sectors of society during three periods; prior to the policy of reform and opening up (1960s to early 1980s), from the commencement of reform and opening to China's entry into the WTO (early 1980s to late 1990s), and the post-WTO period (since late 1990s), and looks at changes in the operation of both society and the economy, and their implications, in terms of overall structure, specific measures adopted, specific areas and special characteristics. This paper draws on many original, first hand materials (33 cases) to study and explain the nature and implications of changes in local government guidance in Suzhou, during these different historical periods and stages.Based on its theoretical analysis and hands-on research, the paper reaches a number of conclusions regarding the following aspects:(1)The motive force for the evolution of the local government guidance in China. The motive force for changes in government guidance is mainly derived from changes in social and economic structure. On the one hand, the prevailing social and economic structure forms the external environment within which a government operates. Where these structures change, it creates an incongruity between the original...