Central and Local Governments: Straighten Out Power Relation

Abstract

To straighten out power relation between central and local governments is a major part in deepening the reform of administrative system, and also the premise and foundation to exert the initiative of local and central governments. At present, there still exist numerous unreasonable, irregular and undefined problems in the power division among governments at all levels, such as duplication of functions, inappropriate separation of power, non-match between financial resources and power, poor normativity and controversy over decentralization and centralization. The direction of reform classifies power division among governments at all levels into three parts as per the properties and characteristics of public affairs, including national affairs under the exclusive power of central government, local affairs under the exclusive power of local government, as well as cross-district or mixed affairs under the shared power of central and local governments. On account of rational power division, the state determines expenditure responsibility by power, weakens the negative effects of power division by central control and guarantees normativity by law. Corresponding to power division, it is also necessary to straighten out inter-government relation, optimize central vertical management and properly promote supervision-type regulatory vertical management. If possible, the state may try to implement “provincial governing county and city” system in some places to offer evidence to government governance modernization.