Innovations in China Local Government

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Innovations in China Local Government

• Yang Xuedong
• China Centre for Comparative Politics and
  Economics

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Poverty Reduction
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Government organization

• Tier 1. Central Government
• Tier 2. 22 Provinces, 4 municipalities, 5
• autonomous regions
• Tier 3 353 prefectures
• Tier 4 2,861 counties
• Tier 5 44,067 Townships
• Non-government tier villages-rural,Resident
  Committee-urban (self-governance)
• Governors are elected. Other officials are
• appointed but ratified by local congress.

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Control and Decentralization

• Legislatures Directly elected peoples
• congress at each level
• Party oversight The Communist Party
• committees at each level.
• Devolution-functioins
• Decentralization-Election Finance

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Goals of Government Innovation

• Democracy
• Rule of law
• Accountability
• Responsiveness
• Service-orientation
• Less-regulation
• Transparency
• Professional
• Efficiency

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How to Understand Government Innovations

• Joseph Schumpter Innovation New Idea Its
  Practice
• Government Innovations
• Public Power adopting innovative methods to
  improve and strengthen Public Interest.
• Reasons Crisis of Legitimacy, Un-trust of
  government

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Process of Local Government Innovations

• 1?1978 Reform/Opening up to 1994
• Reform Sites for Conducting experiments, Such
  as SEZs, Open-typed cities
• 2?1994 Taxation Reform to 2003 SARS Crisis
• Emerging of local innovations, especially in
  economic development
• Grassroots Elections, such as village
  self-governance in 1988.
• 3?From 2003 until Now
• New goals Constructing service-oriented
  government, innovative nation, harmonious society

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China Local Government Innovations
Awards(www.chinainnovations.org)

• Initiated in 2000, by the CCCPE and other two
  Centers
• The First Evaluation System of Local Governments
  by Academic Organizations in China
• Until now there are four rounds of selection and
  awarding. Over 1100 applicants , 40 final
  winners, mainly from the county level.
• Evaluation Criteria Innovation, public
  participatioin, social effect, significance,
  cost-effect, spread
• ApplicationScreeningExpert SelectionField
  InvestigationNational Selection, about 9 months
• Creating a network for researchers and
  officials,domestic and abroad. For example, China
  Government Innovations Forum, Ford Innovations
  Liaison Group, Global Forum for Government
  Innovations

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Competitive Election and Intra-party Democracy

• Township Election (Mayor/Party Secretary)
• County Election ( Debate on TV)
• Elective Criteria

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• Constructing Service-Oriented Government
• One-stop Shop for Public Affairs
• Service Agencies in Rural Area
• Evaluation of Performance of Public Sectors
• Service Charters

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Deregulation

• SEZs
• National Deregulation After Access to WTO

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Protecting Disadvantaged Groups

• Love-Supermarkets for Distributing Essentials
  Goods for Urban Poor
• Homes for Aged
• Centers for Homeless Children
• Anti-Domestic Force
• Trade Unions for Migrating Workers
• Assisting BPL Groups

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Self governance and Public Participation

• Village Election and Self Governance
• Election of Urban Resident Committee
• Public Hearings
• Participatory Budgeting
• Social Auditing

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E-governance

• Websites for all county Governments and many
  township governments
• E-application and approval
• Chat room, Note Board and Blog

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Others

• Environmental Protection
• Protecting local cultures

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Basic Features of Local Innovations

• 1?All levels and fields are involved
• 2?Political innovations and administrative
  innovations
• 3?Institutional innovations and technological
  innovations
• 4?Central Advocacy and Local Initiation
• 5?Social Participation and Innovative Individuals
• 6?Strengthening Governance Capacity as the core
  goal

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Main Reasons for Innovations

• Crisis or Competition Pressure
• Social Input
• Requirement of higher level
• Leadership, especially individual leaders
• Learning from Others, especially from the West

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Fates of Innovations

• Continuation
• Institutionalization and Spread to other places
• Totally Failure
• Stop in origin place, but adapted by other places
• Fate of InnovatorsFate of Innovations

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How to make local innovations work

• Capable Innovators
• United Leadership
• Detailed Plan
• Effective Implementers
• Identification and support from the higher level
• Social participation and support
• Media
• Promotion of innovators

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• Thanks
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