Intergovernmental Relations: Power Allocation And Local Governance

Based on the analysis tools of local governance theory, from the analysis of China's power structure and transitional paths, the dissertation points out that China's local governance is on the process of adjusting the Government power and redefining its functions. That is the differentiation and proliferation of governance authority in the market, the Government and the Third Sector, as well as in the internal system of government through administrative decentralization of authority and responsibility to enhance the local (lower level) Government's enthusiasm, flexibility, responsiveness, and its essence is the evolution of the governance power from the national's single center to the multi-centers and multi-levels. Therefore, local governance is a practice, a set of rules system and an idea. This requires the national and civil society not only to establish a political framework of cooperation, but also to put the intergovernmental vertical relations into the consultation and cooperation models, and to reach the intergovernmental relations governance.This dissertation focuses on the intergovernmental vertical relations of provinces, cities and county, through analyzing the power allocation and government functioning. In the process of local governments' function transforming, they faced with the predicaments. These predicaments are the source that they have not changed the administrative system from the planned economy era and the traditional power structure, and the power allocation intergovernmental behind the government function transform of the request, the mismatch between responsibility, power and profits. All of these results in the local governments facing increasing workload and shortage of capacity for governance. This dissertation analyses the intergovernmental transition of power structure, the role, the power allocation ,the positioning of function and governance tools between provinces since reform and opening up. It points out that there is a set of the formal institutional arrangements such as financial management, project permission, the cadre management, performance evaluation and information communication system in provinces, cities and county of intergovernmental, at the same time because of the inadequate and low efficiency in formal institutional, it makes the intergovernmental governance seriously non-institutionalized.This dissertation regards Zhejiang's intergovernmental relations of province, cities and county as the main cases ,and it investigates the institutional background and operation mode of the Strong county expand power firstly around the country in 1992, 1997 and 2002 as well as 2006 since the 1990s. Then, it analyses Zhejiang Province's economic system, the financial management system, the policy system of Strong county expanding power, the management of the provincial County system performance and system conditions. As a typical Case Study of Yiwu City in 2006, this dissertation analyses the intergovernmental interests gaming, the difference between the roles ,and System Performance ,then discusses the System predicaments in the reform of counties directly under the jurisdiction of provinces. That is to say, our country's existing administrative system and resource allocation model have been institutionalized and even legalized the power structure and interest structure of city government, and the local governments promote the reform of counties directly under the jurisdiction of provinces facing a power shortage, lack of competence, and even lack of legitimacy multiple difficulties.The dissertation holds that the optimization of intergovernmental relations of the provincial, city and county government must be fundamentally adjusted the intergovernmental power, government and market, government and society , building the multi-center governance structure, embedding more cooperation, more communication and more consultation mechanism to realize the intergovernmental governance. In the specific path choice, it must firstly further transformation of government functions, reform the resources allocation of administrative patterns, and achieve the local governance in the interaction between government, market and society. Secondly, we must reform the administrative levels in the system, divide intergovernmental responsibilities on the independent basis between the city and county , establish the county as the main responsibility for the supply of local public service system, and improve public service supply system of the unity of government responsibility, power and profit, including financial allocation mechanism, supervision and evaluation mechanisms. Finally, it should also be optimized space layout of the regional development, adjustment of provincial administrative units, and narrow the scope of the province, cultivate large cities actively, develop the urban economic circle, speed up township system reform, rationalize the relationship between the county and township.