Public governance is the key to the building of a harmonious socialistic society in China. Therefore, government plays a very important role in it. As an indispensable hierarchy in the local governance of the central government, county-level government has a significant impact on gems governance. As the reform and opening going on further and the establishment and gradually improvement of the socialist market economic system, there occur some problems in the system and operating mechanism of the county-level government, and it encounters some difficulties and problems in its management. Thus, governance adjustments, transformation of government functions and management restructuring of county-level government is the urgent requirement and important foundation of the realization of the comprehensive economic and social development of a healthy and harmonious society. In order to really plays its primary role of a grass-roots government should have, county-level government must set building a public-service-oriented county-level government as its development direction and objectives. It must adhere to administrative services, administrative responsibilities, administrative effectiveness and administrative law, and provide county community with high-quality public goods and public services to meet its public demands.The thesis consists of two parts, introduction and text. It focuses on the contemporary county-level government's position, role, administrative structure and operating mechanism, manages to explore the necessity, objectives and ways of its restructuring, and tries to provide theoretical and countermeasure reference for the county-level government in order to more fully play its role in the building of a harmonious socialistic society.The introduction briefly discusses the basis, the theoretical significance and the practical value of the topic, introduces the research status of the academics at home and abroad on the role of government, including county-level government, explains some of the core concepts that occur in the thesis, and expounds the main ideas, the research methods and innovations of the thesis.The text includes five chapters.The first chapter expounds the status and role of county-level government in the governance of the country both in history and practice. Firstly, it overviews the historical evolution of the county system in ancient China, analyzes its social functions and concludes that county-level government is the basic political unit of the feudal central government in the control over and governance of the whole country. Secondly, it briefly introduces the evolution and reform of the county system in modern China from the sprout of modern county system in the late Qing Dynasty to the county system in the time of the Northern and National Government and points out the pros and cons of the reform. Finally, it notes the status and functions of the contemporary county-level government, makes a more detailed analysis of the impact of the city system on the county system in the period of early industrialization, the formation of the"urban counties"system and its defects and explores the conditions, the pros and cons and the basic ideas of the"direct control of the county".The second chapter analyzes the new requirements on the county-level government in building a harmonious socialistic society. Firstly, it briefly introduces the basis and basic ideas of the theory of building a harmonious socialistic society and argues that in the critical period of the economic and social transformation, we must establish a social management system, which suits to the socialist market economic system and meets the requirement of the building of a harmonious socialistic society. Secondly, it quite deeply expounds the new functions that county-level government has in the building of a harmonious socialistic society and concludes that county-level government should fully play its part in promoting coordinated urban and rural development, achieving social harmony in county community and maintaining coordinated development of both human and nature.The third chapter makes a more in-depth introduction of the administrative structure and operating mechanism of county-level government and exposes the difficulties it faces and the problems it encounters. Firstly, it analyzes the institutions of county-level government in the different periods of time, changes in its functions and its chief relations, points out the shortcomings and deficiencies in its institutional reform and function changes and proposes some basic ideas and policy recommendations for the forthcoming institutional reform. Secondly, overviews the decision-making and implement process of county-level government and its administrative supervision and also makes some suggestions on the democratization of its decision-making process, the improvement on its decision-making implement and how to effectively play its administrative oversight role. Finally, it lists three difficulties that county-level government faces and four kinds of deficiencies that county-level government has and argues that all those problems lie in its understanding deviation, institutional restraints, interests temptation and environmental constraints.The fourth chapter proposes that building a service-oriented government is the development goals of county-level government. Firstly, it briefly introduces the background, features and content of the"new public management"practice mode, the"responsive government"governance model and administrative reforms in some western countries so as to explore some successful experiences for us to draw in the forthcoming reform in our government. Secondly, it expounds the meanings of a public service-oriented county-level government and argues that it should be public and service-oriented, limited and effective, good governance and double honest. Finally, it argues that it is highly necessary for us to build such a kind of county-level government and building a people-oriented, service-oriented, public-oriented, responsible and effective government under the guidance of the theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the inevitable choice for county-level government to get out of its development dilemma.The fifth chapter concludes that enhancing the capacity of government services is the fundamental way of building a service-oriented government at the county level. Firstly, it analyzes the mistakes in the role positioning of county-level government and the reasons for those mistakes in order to points out what kind of role it should play. Secondly, it expounds the necessity of strategic changes in the functions of county-level government in the course of the building of a harmonious socialistic society and argues that social management and public service are the two central goals of the strategic changes in its functions. Finally, it explains the formation process and value of service concept of county-level government, the relations between its service capability and other relevant capacities and the ways of improving its service capacity. |