Local Government Reform and the Urban-Rural Relation: A Comparison of Leicester, the United Kingdom and Weihai, China

Abstract

Since the twentieth century, urban expansion has gradually become a global issue. As the first country to urbanize, Britain faced tense urban-rural relations caused by urban expansion after World War II. Similarly, in the twenty-first century, China, as the world’s largest urban entity, faces the same issue due to its rapid urbanization. Both countries have undertaken local government reforms to address this problem, achieving similar results at certain points in time. However, due to differing national contexts and political traditions, their processes and directions vary significantly. This article examines Leicester and Leicestershire in the United Kingdom, and Weihai and Wendeng in China, as cases for comparative study. It aims to analyze the similarities and differences in local government reforms and the evolution of urban-rural relations in these two countries, as well as the reasons behind the differences.