The Effect of Cross-Boundary Supply on the Accessibility of Public Services in Urban Governance: An Example of Shanghai

Abstract

Due to regional variations in urban governance and the division of functions across different government departments, administrative divisions have caused serious fragmentations in local governance and raised serious obstacles to the standardization and equitable delivery of public services within communities. Existing studies have put forward solutions to the problem of governance fragmentation that prioritize optimizing organizational structures. However, these studies neglect to take into account the impact of administrative divisions on public service supply. Current developments in information technology (IT) have brought new opportunities to urban governance. In this study, we take the Community Public Service Centers (CPSCs) of Shanghai as an example to illustrate the impact of administrative divisions on the equitable delivery of public services. We then explore the use of IT-driven implementation of cross-boundary public services to establish an innovative urban governance model that improves the accessibility of public services. The study found that the cross-boundary supply with the support of IT will effectively improve the equitable delivery of public services. This research will provide references for improving the accessibility of public services, the efficiency of resource allocation, and the promotion of the equitable delivery of public services among communities—all of which contribute to the optimization of urban governance.