From Hierarchical Governance To Network Governance: Study On The Relationship Between Cities And Counties After The Reform Of Province Administrating Counties Directly

The adjustment of intergovernmental relations among provinces, cities and counties has been an important part of the administrative management system in China. Cities and counties are two important bodies of local government, the change of the relationship between cities and counties has an important influence for the intergovernmental relations and local governance. In the system of city governing counties, the relationship between cities and counties is a kind of vertical leadership and leadership membership, and it’s governance structure is the traditional bureaucracy mode. With the continuous reform in political and economic system, and the gradual development of the socialist market economic system, the advantages of city governing counties system as well as the traditional hierarchy governance mode which based on rigid constraints and command have become more and more obvious. Based on this, the reform of province administrating counties directly (PACD) has been raised gradually. As the readjustment to relations between cities and counties, the PACD reform has some achievements such as in strengthening the autonomy of county’s economy development, promoting the balanced development of urban and rural areas, promoting the construction of new urbanization and so on. But at the same time, the PACD reform also faces some new difficulties. Based on the practice in different places, this paper summarizes the new problems of the relationship between cities and counties after the PACD reform. It mainly displays in:the vicious competition between cities and counties has aggravated, the difficulty of coordination between cities and counties governments has increased, public goods beyond cities and counties become difficult to be supplied effectively etc.Further more, this article analysis the reasons of these difficulties from the regional governance, regional coordination mechanism, and defining responsibilities and rights between cities and counties. After the PACD reform, for the implementation of a comprehensive reform areas, the relationship between cities and counties has changed from administrative subordination into the competition and cooperation of equality. After the PACD reform, if it continues to handle the relationship between cities and counties with the traditional mode, it is difficult to avoid the administration system enter into circles circle by "intensification contradiction----divisions adjustment----intensification contradictions----divisions adjustment again". The original intention of the PACD reform is to stimulate the vitality of city’s economy, but at the same time, it is not intended to harm the city’s interest, it’s essence is to realize the coordinated development of cities and counties. Especially with the market economy becoming mature, the government needs to change the traditional rigid hierarchy governance mode, introducing a new governance structure, to rebuild the relationship between cities and counties after the PACD reform. Therefore, based on the theory of network governance, this paper puts forward to construct an effective local governance system by forming an equal consultation network structure, building a scientific and efficient regional coordination mechanism, clarifying the responsibility and authority relationship between cities and counties, cultivating a trust mechanism on the basis of social capital, and improving a security mechanism of the network management system.