A Study Of Township Government Function Reform From The Perspective Of Polycentric Governance Theory

In recent years, with the great advancement of China’s socialist new ruralconstruction, problems and contradictions in the rural society development arescrambling to emerge and increasingly intensified. Township government, as theleader of the new rural construction, has to take the historical responsibility ofdeveloping rural economy, promoting rural social progress an d improving farmers’living standards. How scientific and reasonable the systematic functions andinstitutions are, that impact the success of new rural construction. Although thetownship government reform has achieved some success, but the townshipgovernment functions have not yet fully in place, the township government agenciesstill can not get out of the cycle that "streamlining-expansion-to further simplify-reflation", there are huge rebound pressure at the moment. At the same time,polycentric governance theory got into China and developed rapidly, it stressed theneed to get rid of the dominant position of the township government in the field ofpublic affairs management and supply of public goods, but by many power centersthrough competition, cooperation and coordination to provide for the public goodsand public services according to the social needs. Polycentric governance theoryprovides new solutions to the reform and transformation of the township governmentagencies’ functions and has basis of important theoretical guiding significance.Among the many functions of township government, clearly what functions can betransferred to other governance body become an important issue to be solved,therefore, the author proposed a series of solutions of the township governmentfunctions transformation, combining with the actual situation of China’s townshipgovernment functions, drawing reasonable core of polycentric governance theory, andabsorbing the advanced experience of other countries’ basic government functionstransformation. Specific solutions are as follows: First, we should promote ruralsocial organizations and farmers to participate in the management of rural society;Second, we should promote township government, rural market and townshipenterprises join together and promote the development of rural economy; Third, underthe competitive mechanism, township government and rural community organizationsshould provide public services together.