Autonomy Of Local Government Behavior In The Market Process

Why did such great difference in the role action mode of the localgovernment exist and brought so profound effect on the choice of thelocal industrialized and market-oriented course during themarket-oriented reform? And why did the transformation of the localgovernment function which is considered as the subject of administrativesystem reform long-term lag behind the market-oriented reform? Thispaper thinks that the core of the problem is that a kind of "selective"system exists in both the performance of function and the implementationof policy of the local government during the great transformation of thesystem circumstances. The local government can perform the functionand implement the central policy selectively according to own utility andpreference and there is an equivalent large flexible space for this actionchoice. Since the local government was evolved into a relativelyindependent beneficial subject, the transformation of the governmentalfunction is no longer a simple role recognition or public finance problem,but mainly a problem of the choice of the government utility objects, andthe stimulate and restrain system of governmental action. With a view ofthe expansion of the discretion of local government's action, and basedon the individual case analysis on the interactive relationship between thelocal government and micro-main body in Zhejiang regionalmarket-oriented course, this paper analyzes and sums up the action modeand evolved track of the local government in the course of themarket-oriented reform, especially the internal logic of the action choiceduring the regional market-oriented course.Since the reform and opening, the social system circumstances hasevolved profoundly, which leads to the great change of the role of thelocal government in the whole Chinese administrative managementsystem. The local government has evolved into the main body of the localpublic affairs management with the own special beneficial structure andutility objects from the simple executor of the central command in the eraof the planned economy. And a series of power division reform on theeconomic system and administrative system reinstitute the relationship between the governments and the motive system of the localgovernmental action, rapidly awake the autonomic consciousness of thelocal government and gradually form the maximum expansion authority,continually try to breakthrough the bottom line of the central policy torealize its specialized utility objects.Because the compulsive division system of authority andresponsibility between the central government and local governmenthaven't been set up, the central government lacks the effective system tosupervise and control the local government action. Meanwhile, in order tomotivate the enthusiasm of the local government to develop the localeconomy and promote system reform, the central government persistentlycarried out the administrative system reform of the power division andthe assess to the officials of the local government is also laid particularstress on the achievements shown by the local economic developmentperformance gradually. As a result, the relationship between the upperand lower government has the meaning of political general contractgradually, that is, as long as the lower government can create the greatachievement on the economic development and complete various taskindex arranged by the upper government, the upper government usuallydon't interfere with the specific action choice of the lower government.With the completion of the compulsive tasks regulated by the superiorgovernment as the premise, the local government can have a say fordecision-making in their jurisdiction.The evolvement of the restricting condition and motive system in thevariance of systematic environment has constructed strong internal causesfor the expansion of discretion of action of local government and has alsoprovided the flexible potential spaces. The Discretion of LocalGovernment's Action means possibility of the realize the administrativeobjects according to its own purpose of the local government, whopossesses relative independent beneficial structure, gets rid of the controlof the superior government and local social powers possessing variousadministrative influences, and thereof the action logic reflected, which isdifferent from the superior government and public desires. One of theimportant features of the Discretion of Local Government's Action that different from the decision-making power authorized by the central is thatit is a flexible potential Space. Through the elusion of the restriction oflaws and policies, the local government can greatly enlarge thedecision-making power authorized by the central and even gain theauthorities not granted by the central government. Under suchbackground, whether to carry out the policy made by the superiorgovernment or pursue for the administrative objectives of the localgovernment itself, the local government possesses unheard-of freedom tochoose. The local government can not only choose the policies to carryout and fulfill its responsibilities according to its favors, but also canequip its possessed public resources that become more and moreabundant according to its utility objectives, and even more, to a certainextent, it can exceed its authority and breakthrough the policy boundariesand master the boundary of governmental action through its gameexperiences with superior government or local economic capacity.The expansion of Discretion of Local Government's Action meansthe boundary of power, responsibility and action of local governmentbecome vague and indicates the possibility of the potential diversificationof role action of local government. It makes the local governmental actionmode shows more and much stronger individualization, and causes theindividualization of local economy and social development. With theexpansion of the Discretion of Local Government's Action, theuncertainty of the action performance of local government and of thechoice of courses of the development of regional market system and itsperformance has logically taken place. The practice of Zhejing Province,from "Wenzhou Mode" to "Zhejiang Phenomenon", shows that theDiscretion of Local Government's Action is the key variable of thedevelopment of regional market system. On one hand, the Discretion ofLocal Government's Action composes the intermedium link between theinduced institutional change promoted by local publics and the Imposedinstitutional change promoted by central government, and is the keyfactor to promote the reform of economic system in China and stimulatethe vigor of innovation and reform of system. On the other hand, theDiscretion of Local Government's Action drove by benefits always appears as that the local government makes use of administrative meansto compulsively interfere in the microeconomic process and artificiallycounteract the circulation of elements and the development of regionalmarket system, and what's more, the Discretion of Local Government'sAction may be directed by the impulsion of the local administrativeofficers pursuing for the maximization of achievements and be controlledby the local capital power. In other words, the local government can notonly creatively make use of policy opportunities to actively promote thedevelopment of the regional market system through the expansion of itsdiscretion of action, but also may farthest make use of the local resourcesto realize the maximization of achievements through the expansion ofdiscretion of action and become the counteracting power for thedevelopment of regional market system.The increasingly expansion of the discretion of action of the localgovernment shows that the action of local government not only lose theeffective monitoring and restriction of the central government to a certainextent, but also do not form effective restriction system within theframework of local politics and administrative system. The action oflocal government has been, to a large extent, in a situation away fromregulation. Therefore, it has been the important realistic problem of theChina's reform in political and administrative system to establishcomplete law-oriented and standardized division system of governmentalresponsibilities and authorities, to farthest reduce systematic spaces ofgambling relation between the governments; and to actively promote thepolitical power division reform and explore to establish the lateral powercheck-and-balance system both inside and outside Party System in eachpublic authority level, so as to finally establish effective control system ofthe Discretion of Local Government's Action.