On Building A Public Service-oriented Government At County-Level And Its Approaches

With the acceleration of marketization in China, the general public demands an increasingly higher quality of public services. However, China's old planned economy cannot meet the demand of social development. Against this backdrop, the Central Government put forward requirements for building up service-oriented governments at various levels. Building a service-oriented government requires a transformation of the form and function of the government, from regulation-oriented to service-oriented, from regulatory function to service function. Because of their direct contact with the general public, county governments play a critical role in safeguarding people's interests and rights. But due to negative impacts of feudal thoughts and old planned economy system, we are going to face many complex problems when building service-oriented governments at county level. To construct a service-oriented government at county level is a difficult task and also a key area. Therefore, it is necessary for us to understand the logic of building a service-oriented government at county level and then accelerate the reform.Firstly, this paper examines the general theories of building service-oriented governments, gives a brief introduction to new theories of public administration and public services, the basic ideas of "Serving the People" and its requirements. After considering the evolution and development of government functions, this paper carries out an analysis of the four elements of constructing county-level governments, namely, idea, institution, system, and operational pattern, elaborates on the logic of building service-oriented governments at county level, and then puts forward the general requirements. Secondly, in light of the results that J County has made in this regard and the existing problems, this paper proposes some basic guidelines and approaches in terms of reshaping ideas, re-defining functions, innovating systems, and transforming pattern. Finally, it conducts research into the construction of service-oriented governments at local level in the US, the UK, and Singapore, draws some valuable lessons, and puts forward some suggestions for the construction of service-oriented county governments in China.