Reinventing government: Institutional analysis on administrative reform in China

Abstract

This research discusses on decentralization and public governance transition in China. Since the end of 1970s, Chinese government brought a series of administrative reforms into effect. These reforms could be divided into three stages. From 1978 to 2002, the main purpose of the administrative reform was to foster markets and remove planned economy by decentralization. Soon after Hu Jintao replaced Jiang Zemin as the highest leader, Chinese administrative reform came into new stage. The goal of the second stage of administrative reform is to accelerate governance transition and advance public satisfaction by redefining the role of government, reinventing public organizations and promoting law-based administration. It is expected that China needs to reform its public service enterprises and develop none-profit organizations in the coming future. The better governance depends on the joint drives and co-production among government, market and none-profit organization. The deepened reform of administration lies on political support from enlightened politicians, widely public participation, interaction among departments and improvement of institutional arrangement.