Public Service Capacity Of Local Government Research

Local government is an important part of political institution. It is closely linked with people's everyday life. The meaning of local government is different in different countries. In China, local government refers to all levels of governments except for the central government. Public service means providing tangible and intangible goods for the public. As public service is non-rivalness, non-excludability, and non-divisibility, there will be predicament when it provided by individual. So it should be provided by governments. Local public service refers to the common property that can be consumed equally by people in a local community. The reason for local government to provide public service is the local government may better understand its people's preference. So the public service can meet their need, and be responsive and effective. Local public service provided by local government can facilitate effective resources allocation and higher economic productivity.In the mid and late 1970s, a wave of reforms aimed at improving local governments' capacity of providing public service started in England, then spread worldwide. They occurred in the backdrop when local governments tightened their expensing while public's need on service was increasing and the difficulties in coordination and deviation from targets in the process of service delivery were more and moreprominent. Local government reforms in Western countries encompass such initiatives as power decentralization, introducing market mechanism to public service sector, reform to increase financial power for local governments, and attaching greater importance to efficiency assessment. Of course, local government reforms in western counties have great difference from that in our country either in historical context or real situation. But their experience deserves to actively learn from for local governments in our country.Under the background of global local government innovation, with the developing of economy of our country, demands on local public services are changing and developing, new requirements are brought forward on management skills of local government. How to improve management ability of local government, accordingly promote local economy and allow our country to have a smoothly and healthily development, becomes an important issue before us, therefore, it is especially important and urgent to study how the local government can improve public service ability based on current situation of service delivering by local government.On the whole, management skills of our local governments are improved step by step, but are still lag behind the demands of Public Services, and are still with problems, such as: lack of management skills of local government on Public Services, unbalance between differentregions, unbalance between rural area and urban area. There are many factors that hinder local governments to provide suitable services, mainly include: human resource factor, unsuitable dividing between financial rights and career rights, unclear definition on duties of different government levels, self-interest of local government, and current stress oriented appraisal mechanism. Focused on these factors, the article proposes an approach for local government to improve public service ability. In first, to increase financial ability of local government, reasonably allocate tax incomes between different government levels, stabilize government financial resources and scientized budget management. Secondly, make clear on government duties and rights, the local government should gather more resources on public services. Thirdly, study and utilize the experiences of western developed countries, separate producing and delivering of public service, the local government should be more concentrated on delivering of public service, at the same time, various methods should be applied on supervision and standardization of public service producing. Fourthly, diversification of public service delivering through enforcement of public management, thus, the government responsibilities on public service should be marketized, social organizations should be actively cultivated. Fifthly, more emphasis on establishment of responsible government, meanwhile, scientific management should be reached on job appraisal of governmentofficials.This article mainly uses documentary method, case study method and comparative study method, studies into Public Service theories, unveils problems existing in local government Public Service. This article tries to innovate on producing and delivering of public service by local government, proposes that local government should categorize Public Products and Services. As for those services, which are shared by residents and difficult to be divided or otherwise the cost would be very high, the price of which are hard to be determined through individual consumption, marketized fees collecting can not be executed, therefore, the governments should use tax incomes to produce such services. Regarding fluid facilities, such as city Water Supply facility, Sewage Treatment facility, etc. can be divided although they are shared by residents, the producing of such services can be marketized, because the consumption can be quantified. Marketized Public Services are the trend for local government to improve their management skills. In order to realize the target and establish a solid base for management network, social organizations should be encouraged and cultivated, meanwhile, the establishment of laws and regulations of market supervision should beaccelerated.