Local Governments’ Dilemma And Countermeasures On Petition Visits

Petition visits, which have a direct influence on the stability of society, cause great pressure on local governments. Based on his own experience from May 2012 to July 2014 in Quangang District, Quanzhou, the author writes this thesis on the dilemma of local governments when facing petition visits.Based on the study of available researches and the analysis of his own field study, the author puts forward the following points:(1) Petition system, being one of the achievement of Chinese government, needs to be adjusted to the changing political, economical and cultural environments. (2) We need to evaluate objectively the role of petition system according to different historical periods. (3) It is of practical significance to study the features and patterns of petition visits in order to make petition system more scientific, standardized and institutionalized. (4) Dealing with petition visits is an important duty of local government, and a significant public service as well. Applying the theories and approaches of public management will help to solve the dilemma of petition system.Based on the statistics of petition visits and typical cases in Quangang District, the author combs through local governments’ dilemma when facing petition visits and analyses the causes. The thesis proposes that petition visits should be prevented from the root by optimizing public policy, transforming government functions and improving working style. It also suggests ways to improve petition system so as to break through the dilemma.