Theoretical Study On Chinese City Systems Reform

For a long time,the city systems are generally recognized as part of the administrative divisions.However,the biggest difference between urban areas and other types of administrative areas is that the urban areas are directly connected with urban development.This makes the running of the city systems with the advance of urbanization and the evolution of urban problems become more complex.In the process of practice,city systems have three elements or meanings: urban administrative systems,municipal systems and power systems among urban governments.There are more researches in the first two levels while the third level is rarely involved.The power systems among urban governments refers specifically to the fact that some cities have a strong effect on the other cities due to the influence of power factors,and the power network between cities is becoming stronger and stronger when the strong effects are spread or even institutionalized.This perspective of the power systems among urban governments will be based on this setting: to some extent the strong effect between the cities determines the distribution of the dominant resources in the running of city systems.In order to verify this basic setting,it will promote research work from the historical induction,comparative study and realistic study three aspects and so on.First,combing the history of the evolution of the Chinese city systems.In ancient times,the city have been graded very early.The patriarchal hierarchy profoundly shaped the establishment and layout of the city.To modern times,although the city systems emphasize on the autonomous attribute in the beginning,driven by the times,administrative attributes,political attributes have been increasing and growing.The strong effect between the cities have also been expanded.Of course,it should look at this phenomenon from both positive and negative aspects.It can not subjective to judge that the strengthening of political property is the culprit of urban shackles.Second,as a comparison,focus on the typical city systems of the countries(regions)to do a summary.Their forms of city systems are influenced by the historical,cultural and practical factors of their country(region).Although the forms of expression are distinctive,but in general,between the city of these countries(regions),the strong effect are more desalination,urban autonomy factors in the operation of city systems also occupy the mainstream.Of course,they also exist fragmentation in governance,relatively slowing in urban development,greater resistance in reform and other ills.Third,the realistic analysis regards the city systems as a dynamic process,focuses on observing the political and administrative factors which related to the city systems.It conducts research from the government responsibilities,government agencies,urban systems and non-institutional respectively.The study finds that there is a phenomenon of “convergence of responsibilities” between the city government and the regional government,but the difference of the administrative region is not reflected through the government's responsibilities.The institutional setting inside the city government has the coexistence of expansion and differentiation;the city constitutes a hierarchical system under the action of level,legislation,authority and other factors;the operation of city systems has occurred deviation under the interference of the national defense,national,government and other factors.After the above three aspects of the verification,we have a further understanding of the power system among urban governments.On the basis of the previous theoretical analysis,put forward the concept of “the structure of urban political potential energy gap”(referred to potential gap structure).It tries to conceptualize the meaning of the third tier of municipalities.It described such a phenomenon: due to administrative levels,political status,administrative level,the authority and other aspects of the differences,some cities have more political potential energy than others.When these potential gap gradually normalized and stabilized the city presents a relatively stable relational structure.This structure has the following five characteristics: political potential affects the allocation of dominant resources in the city;“tiaotiao” play a role of resource integration and resource transmission;urban intergovernmental relations show non-reciprocal;non-institutional factors have a more prominent role in shaping the structure;the central government becomes a key external influence.Then,for the problems caused by the “potential gap structure”,put forward the reform orientation which called “balance-partnershi-coordination”.Orientation requirements: First,The central government weakens direct control to the city systems,instead of focusing on the political balance and political stability between the various cities.Second,strengthen the partnership between the city governments in order to slow down their potential gap.Third,promote the regional government(mainly provincial,autonomous regional governments)stripped of the city responsibilities,conversely to focus on coordinating development and governance issues between the cities of specific area.According to this thinking,it also put forward specific countermeasures and suggestions.Countermeasures are divided into two parts: operational and security mechanisms.In the operation,the central government should classified promote the balanced development of the city;the city governments both need to clear the urban responsibilities according to city function and need a variety of urban administrative systems to distinguish;provincial governments should play roles of coordinator and platform builder.In the protection mechanism,it is suggested that take the legalization,information disclosure,reform standards,assessment and supervision,party and government agencies,cadre personnel and other aspects as the mechanism guarantee of city systems reform.