Public Services In China Research Articles

Analysis of Regional Differences and Convergence of Equalization Level of Marine Public Services in China’s Coastal Areas

The equalization of marine public services is an effective way to achieve harmonious coexistence of the sea. In this paper, a variable fuzzy recognition model is used to measure the equalization level of marine public services in 11 provinces and cities in China’s coastal areas from 2006 to 2019. The Dagum Gini coefficient, kernel density estimation model, and convergence model are used to study their regional differences, distribution dynamics, and convergence characteristics. The results show that the equalization level of marine public services in China’s coastal areas increased year by year from 2006 to 2019. In terms of spatial distribution, the equalization level of marine public services in coastal areas presents an unbalanced distribution pattern. The overall regional differences in the equalization level of marine public services in China’s coastal areas have narrowed, and the inter-regional differences are the main reasons for the overall differences. The absolute difference in the equalization level of marine public services in China’s coastal areas shows an expanding trend. The equalization level of marine public services in China’s coastal areas has α convergence and β convergence.

How Does Government Intervention Affect Community Residents’ Satisfaction with Public Services—Evidence from CSS (2021) in China

The traditional model of community public service in China is experiencing a nuanced transformation, which has been spurred by increased government involvement and the growing openness of communities in the realm of public governance. Recent scholarly inquiries have revealed a strong association between the level of government intervention and the satisfaction of residents with public services. This means that communities with higher levels of government intervention typically enjoy more comprehensive public facilities and services, thereby increasing residents’ satisfaction with community public services. This article analyzes 2021 social security system data and finds that government intervention often has a beneficial impact on improving residents’ satisfaction with public services, although it may also have negative effects in certain specific areas. In addition, the impact of government participation and community openness on residents’ satisfaction is moderated by various factors such as residents’ own economic statuses and education levels. To achieve this goal, government officials and community leaders should focus on improving the nature and degree of government intervention and community openness in order to more fully meet the needs of residents and increase their satisfaction.

A study of market segmentation, government competition, and public service efficiency in China: Based on a semi-parametric spatial lag model.

Despite significant growth in fiscal expenditure, the overall level of public services in China remains inadequate. One approach to improving government public service efficiency from the perspective of management psychology is to strengthen government competition. However, only a few studies have explored the improvement of public service efficiency through government competition, with even fewer addressing the phenomena of market segmentation and spatial effects that accompany the process of government competition. This paper aims to fill this research gap by examining the effects of government competition and market segmentation on public service efficiency, as well as their spatial disparities. We initially employs the DEA method to assess the efficiency of public services based on inputs and outputs, and examines its spatial variations. Subsequently, a semi-parametric spatial lag panel model is utilized to validate the effects of market segmentation and government competition on public service efficiency. Our findings indicate that inter-provincial market segmentation leads to a decline in public service efficiency. Moreover, the influence of horizontal competition between local governments on public service efficiency varies depending on the degree of positive and negative effects in their competition dynamics. The impact of vertical competition between central and local governments on public service efficiency is influenced by the degree of fiscal decentralization. When the level of fiscal decentralization is below 0.808, vertical competition between central and local governments has a promoting effect on public service efficiency. However, when the degree of fiscal decentralization exceeds 0.08, this promoting effect weakens and gradually transforms into a negative influence. The insights and evidence provided by this study offer valuable guidance for for effectively reshaping the fiscal relations between the central and local governments in China and improving public service efficiency in the context of a new round of fiscal and tax system reforms.

Study of the Construction of Sports and Health Service Platforms for the Disabled in China

With the rapid development of the economy, the living standards of Chinese people have generally improved. Consequently, sports facilities have been improved and the concept of sports has been redefined. The implementation of the national fitness program has stimulated the public’s interest in sports. However, the popularization and development of sports for the disabled still face a series of obstacles. To enhance the quality of disabled sports public services in China, safeguard the rights of individuals with disabilities, and foster societal harmony, this paper adopts a multifaceted approach. Drawing upon literature review and logical analysis, it aims to provide policy guidance, optimize service delivery, enhance supervision mechanisms, facilitate feedback mechanisms, and implement scientific management practices. Drawing from successful cases in the United States, this paper aims to address key challenges in the provision of sports public services for individuals with disabilities in China. By examining the service content offered by relevant platforms in the US, specific solutions are proposed to overcome existing shortcomings in China’s disabled sports public services. Additionally, the paper outlines a construction model for sports health service platforms catering to people with special needs.

The effects of China’s poverty eradication program on sustainability and inequality

Poverty eradication is the first goal on the United Nations’ list of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, the relationships between poverty eradication and the other SDGs remain unclear, and thus current knowledge is insufficient to support the synergized achievement of the SDGs. China eliminated extreme poverty in 2021, and thus in this study, we analyzed the variations in sustainability and equality related to the environment and the provision of public services in China during the poverty eradication program from 2010 to 2020. We combined statistical data, point of interest data, and environmental monitoring and remote sensing data to evaluate progress in China’s 832 poverty-stricken counties. The results showed that the mean values of environmental and public service sustainability indicators improved from 2010 to 2020. In addition, the mean Theil index value decreased from 0.46 to 0.35 during this period, implying a reduction in inequality. Inequality between poverty-stricken and non-poverty-stricken areas accounted for 9.3% of overall inequality among the counties in 2010, and this had decreased to 7.7% in 2020. However, unbalanced regional investment resulted in increased gaps between poverty-stricken and non-poverty-stricken counties in relation to education and health care. Overall, 15% of the population and 54.8% of the land area in poverty-stricken counties experienced both a loss of their advantage in terms of environmental quality compared with non-poverty-stricken counties and greater lags in the provision of public services. Linear estimation showed that investment in poverty-stricken counties should be increased by 226.2 and 72.0% in relation to education and health care, respectively, to eliminate these inequalities.

Types of Public Participation and Their Effect on Satisfaction with Local Public Services in China

Satisfaction with public services is an important index of their quality and an effective way to promote political legitimacy in China. This article empirically examines how three types of public participation contribute to citizens’ satisfaction with public services in China, with special attention to the moderating role of political trust. Using data from 6,089 respondents in a survey conducted in 2020, I find that government-led discussions and nonpolitical participation have a positive effect on public service satisfaction, whereas grass-roots election participation has no statistically significant effect. Participation efficacy, political trust, policy transparency, and unfair treatment are potential factors affecting residents’ satisfaction with public services. In these correlations, political trust has a significant moderating effect. When political trust is weak, the influence of participation on public service satisfaction is null or negative; with greater trust, the negative correlation is mitigated.

Impacts of family care for children and the elderly on women's employment: evidence from rural China.

China's traditional culture makes rural women and men take on different family responsibilities. Use "China Family Panel Studies" (CFPS) data and build Logit and propensity score matching models to empirically study the impact of children care and elderly care on rural married women going out to work. And explore the welfare effects of basic education public services in helping rural women take care of their families. The results show that caring for children has a significant hindering effect on rural married women's job hunting. Especially for those in low-income families, the employment inhibition is most significant among women aged 20-30 with multiple children. Contrary to previous cognition, supporting the elderly has a certain weak stimulating effect. The kindergarten public services in rural areas can help women take care of their children and relieve their work pressure. The primary school public services have not played a role in alleviating them. This shows that there are still a large number of female laborers in rural China who are unable to go out to work due to family care. The improvement of rural basic education public services can promote more rural women going out to work. This finding will provide a policy reference for the introduction of a formal care system and the establishment of basic education public services in China.

Policy Evolution of Government Procurement of Public Services in China: A Text-Mining Perspective

The in-depth mining of policy text of Government Procurement of Public Services (GPPS) is helpful to distinguish stage characteristics and evolution logic of the policy. Through text-mining technology, the current research analyzes the policy text of GPPS from 1995 to 2021 in China. Firstly, the GPPS policy is divided into three stages according to the key policy nodes. Secondly, the TF-IDF algorithm is adopted to obtain keywords at each stage, and the static stage characteristics are summarized by constructing the complex network of the extracted keywords. Finally, the policy is clustered into several categories with the help of K-means cluster analysis, and the characteristic of each category is achieved through secondary word segmentation, so as to figure out the dynamic evolution logic of each policy category at divided stages. Results show that the development of the GPPS policy in China presents a point-to-face change feature, manifested in the evolution logic of “government purchase—government procurement of public service—all-round supporting policy.” And policy priorities at different stages, namely, policy tools, will change according to the development of economy and variation of demands.

The role of small towns in rural villagers’ use of public services in China: Evidence from a national-level survey

It is widely believed that small towns have been playing a crucial role in rural sustainable development, as they provide most public services for rural residents living in hinterland villages. However, concrete evidence from a national-level analysis based on first-hand survey data is scarce. This paper explores the role of small towns in servicing their rural hinterlands, using nationwide survey data in 31 provinces throughout China. The role of small towns is measured by the mobility patterns of villager in using small-town services, namely, travel purposes and frequency. The results show that small towns are the main destination for access to daily necessities, agricultural trades, non-farm employment, basic education and minor medical treatment for rural villagers. They are universally important in providing agricultural products and daily goods, especially in less developed areas in middle and western parts of China. In developed areas, the role of small towns for non-farm work, schooling, eating out and leisure activities tends to increase. The diverse role of small towns depends mainly on socioeconomic development, urban proximity and public transport infrastructure. High-frequency village-town bus services, diverse land use and a high-quality public service also affect the role of small towns. The research findings will enhance our knowledge of the central function of small towns within the rural hierarchy in a context of developing and fast urbanised countries.

Low-Carbon Path Transformation for Different Types of Enterprises under the Dual-Carbon Target

Under pressure from the environment and resources, emission peak and carbon neutrality have rapidly become a global issue. The optimization of the ecological goal should be in line with the energy target. In most instances, however, the economic and the ecological goals cannot be unified. This paper establishes a multi-objective optimization model that maximizes the economic benefit of enterprises and the ecosystem activity of the government in the meantime. The idea point method is used in solving this multi-objective optimization problem in the form of a single-objective optimization problem. The numerical experiment documents four types of Chinese enterprises, which are primary resources, industrial manufacturing, public services and commercial consumption. Some management insights are summarized at the end, such as the cores of achieving high-quality and low-carbon development are industrial manufacturing and public services in China.

From accessibility of traffic to accessibility of service: the spatial analysis of N-minute service circle of urban park system

ABSTRACT As an important strategy of basic public services in China, service “accessibility” follows the concept of fair and equal public services. Compared with the traditional transportation accessibility, it is also a comprehensive consideration from the dimension of residents’ demand and service supply to promote the balance of urban park space layout and service coverage. Based on the N-minute service circle, this study establishes a comprehensive evaluation index system to quantitatively assess the service balance of urban parks based on three dimensions of service availability, spatial balance and social equity, taking the Shangcheng District of Hangzhou as an example. And further, an optimization model of urban park system is constructed to carry out spatial analysis and optimal adaptation of urban park system by combining residents’ demand and evaluation. The results show that the overall accessibility of urban park services shows a spatial pattern of “high in the north and low in the middle”, with obvious spatial differentiation along the river area. The urban park system optimized by the model based on the assessment results achieves the “accessibility” and “refined” quality of urban park services. Meanwhile, this study provides a reference for building a more all-age and quality urban park system.

Co-production and Citizens’ Satisfaction with Public Services: The Case of Environmental Public Services in China

This study investigates the impact of co-production on citizens’ satisfaction with environmental public services. Using survey data from China, the findings demonstrate that co-production can increase citizens’ satisfaction with environmental public services. Contrary to existing explanations, there is a significant difference between satisfaction with central and local governments in China. Co-production has positively increased citizens’ satisfaction with the effectiveness of environmental governance in local governments, and this has only partially positively increased for the central government. The findings demonstrate that co-production can optimize the structure of public services to increase citizens’ satisfaction with public services.

Population Shrinkage, Public Service Levels, and Heterogeneity in Resource-Based Cities: Case Study of 112 Cities in China

Resource-based cities (RBCs) have become an important part of shrinking cities, and their population shrinkage brings many challenges for RBCs. A lot of literature analyzes the effects of shrinkage in RBCs, but very few explore the impact of population shrinkage on changes in their public service levels (PSLs). How the population shrinkage affects public services in RBCs, whether it is heterogeneous concerning the degree of shrinkage, and what the policy implications are all need to be studied in this paper. We propose the criteria for defining population shrinkage grades in terms of population size, population proportion, and population reduction rate, and we define the shrinkage grades of 112 RBCs. We select 12 indicators to build an index system to measure the PSLs of China’s RBCs, define the shrinkage grades of 112 RBCs, measure their PSLs, and analyze the impact of population shrinkage on the public services in China’s RBCs. The results show that there is a positive correlation between the rate of population reduction (pr) and the increased range of PSLs (PSLIR). The population shrinkage generally contributes to the improvement of PSLs in RBCs, but the effect is heterogeneous among the different shrinkage grades. In cities with population growth, it inhibits the improvement of PSLs, while in cities with population shrinkage, it promotes the improvement of PSLs. This promotion effect is phased and can only occur in the early stages of population shrinkage. The results also reveal the effects of the control variables on the PSLs of all the RBCs, as well as the RBCs with different shrinkage grades. These results can provide a reference for the sustainable development of RBCs.

Research on the Coupling and Coordination of Systems of Citizenization, Regional Economy, and Public Service in China from the Perspective of Sustainable Development

Based on the perspective of sustainable development, this paper introduces the circular economy dimension into the economic system, the ecological environmental protection dimension into the public service system, and constructs index evaluation systems for citizenization, regional economy, and public service, respectively. Then, the paper establishes a coupling coordination model to study the mutual relationship between citizenization, regional economy, and public service at provincial levels, so as to promote the sustainable development of population, economic society, and resource environment. The main research conclusions are as follows: (1) the level of citizenization is generally low, and the dimensions of income and social security are weak; (2) the development trend of circular economy in the eastern regions is better than that in other regions; (3) the “Citizenization, Regional Economy, Public Service” System has an overall low coupling and coordination degree and it shows a trend of “high in the east and low in the west”; (4) the contradictory characteristics between the systems vary greatly by province. Most of the provinces’ systems of the regional economy and public service lag behind their citizenization and some developed provinces have a lag in their citizenization systems. In order to promote a high-quality coordinated development between the systems of citizenization, regional economy, and public service, a sustainable development path that adapts to local conditions must be sought. It should focus on improving the social security level of rural-to-urban migrants, establishing a circular economy, and strengthening the construction of an ecological environment.

Municipal amalgamations and the quality of public services: A study based on city-county mergers in China.

Municipal amalgamation is one of the core policy tools for Chinese government intervention in urbanization. The city-county merger policy provides a valuable research object for examining whether government-led urban expansion improves the quality of public services. By using city panel data from 2003 to 2019, this paper examines the policy effects of city-county mergers on the quality of public services using the Propensity Score Matching-Difference-in-Differences (PSM-DID) model. The results indicate that, after controlling for other factors, city-county mergers have increased the quality of public services by 1.2%. A placebo test has validated the robustness of this positive effect. Through further tests, the paper finds that the policy has positively affected all three aspects of the quality of public services in China: education, health care, and transport infrastructure, with the greatest impact being on education. Using a case study of a city-county merger in the Fenghua District of Ningbo, this paper depicts the transmission mechanism and argues that the policy affects the quality of public services by providing institutional security (financial and administrative power) and promoting regional integration in the new city area.

Research on the influence of China's transfer payment system on the equalization of basic public services

Realizing the equalization of basic public services is of great significance for promoting social harmony and narrowing the regional development gap. Since 2006, China has officially proposed "equalization of basic public services" Since then, the gap of basic public service level between the eastern and western regions of China has narrowed year by year, but inequality still exists. Transfer payment system is the most important policy tool to realize the equalization of basic public services in China. This paper uses the variation coefficient method to analyze the internal reason for the narrowing of the gap, that is, the impact of China's transfer payment system on the equalization of basic public services. On this basis, in view of China's national conditions and foreign successful experiences, this paper puts forward some countermeasures and suggestions to improve the transfer payment system and promote the equalization of basic public services from the aspects of establishing a sound legal system, normalizing the direct fund management mechanism, and clarifying the division of routine powers and responsibilities.

Effects of Sports Public Goods on the Health of the Elderly: Empirical Evidence from China

ABSTRACT Sports public service can promote the elderly to participate in sport exercises and have a positive impact on health of the elderly. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of sport public service on the health and to study the meditation effect of physical activity. We conducted a questionnaire survey on sports public service and the health of the elderly in China, and established a mediation effect model to measure the impact of five categories of sports public service on the health of the elderly. The final sample comprised 1089 older adults (548 males and 541 females). Cronbach’s α was over 0.7. Sport public service have positive effect on the health of the elderly, but they have meditation effect on both frequency and duration of physical exercise of the elderly. Among which the instruction of physical activity and service of sport exercises are the most significant factors. Sports public service for the elderly in China are not well balanced both in regions and among people, with more goods in towns and cities but less in rural areas. This study clarifies the impact of sports public service on the health of the elderly, and empirically analyses its meditation effect on physical exercise of the elderly. It is emphasized that the provision of sports public service in China is not to build sports facilities, but to provide more instruction and sports public services for residents physical exercise.

Does the Equalization of Public Services Effect Regional Disparities in the Ratio of Investment to Consumption? Evidence From Provincial Level in China

Insufficient equalization of public services and coexistence of high investment and low consumption are two major dilemmas facing the high-quality development of China’s economy. This study first evaluated the level of equalization of public services by provincial panel data from 2013 to 2017. Then econometric models were constructed to investigate the effect of the equalization of public services on the regional disparities in the ratio of investment to consumption (IC). Results show that the overall level of equalization of public services in China is low and there are large regional differences. Average values of the relative level of equalization of public services show an increasing trend in order of the eastern, central, northeastern, and western regions. The ratio of IC in China also exhibits large regional differences. Public education significantly negatively affects the IC in China, and the effects exist in the eastern and central regions. The seven evaluation criteria of equalization of public services in different regions have different effects on the ratio of investment to consumption. Therefore, according to the characteristics of the relationship between the equalization of public services and the ratio of investment to consumption at the whole or regional scales, a reasonable pathway should be selected to improve the current situation of high investment and low consumption and promote high-quality and sustainable development of the Chinese economy under the new normal.

Research on big data-driven public services in China: a visualized bibliometric analysis

The gradual establishment of systematic, equalized, and standardized basic public services has drawn attention of the academic community to the mismatch between supply-demand, and public dissatisfaction. Big-data-driven public services innovatively attempt to solve these problems, and reflect the theoretical essence of the process by which big data can empower the responsiveness of governments. In this study, we adopted the theoretical frameworks of ‘diversified needs–selective responses’, ‘risk shocks–forward-looking responses’, and ‘forward-looking predictions–creative responses’. We propose that big data-driven public services should respond not only to present needs but also to social risks and future needs. Therefore, it is imperative to review the status, problems, and future directions of big data-driven public service research in China. This study uses bibliometric visualization analysis on data from research projects, monographs, and journal publications. The results reveal that the main research topics are basic theoretical issues, service-oriented government development guided by big data strategies, practical innovation of public services in the context of smart governance, and the effective supply of big data-driven public services. Previous studies suffered from weak theoretical reflection and construction, lacked relevant institutions, had less fine-grained and fragmented technical support, and lacked foresight and guidance. Attention should be paid to normative theories and institutions in big data-driven public services to ensure that these services are more targeted and prospective; creative research should be conducted. The systematic summarization of the current state of research and reflections on prospective and creative research trends will provide new ideas regarding future research directions.

The Dynamic Role of Emotional Intelligence on the Relationship Between Emotional Labor and Job Satisfaction: A Comparison Study of Public Service in China and South Korea

Today, research on emotional labor in public service has been growing both in China and South Korea; however, few studies have explored the management–performance relationship between countries with similar cultures. This study provides a new case for the comparative public management domain by conducting empirical research on two countries with similar cultures and clarifying the existing literature on the relationship between the dimensions of emotional labor and job satisfaction with emotional intelligence as the mediating role. Samples from public service employees were collected. The findings reveal that, among the dimensions of emotional intelligence, emotional self-regulation emerges as the sole important mediating variable in the relationship between the two countries.