Rural Governance System Research Articles

Information Stratification: An Understanding of Rural Governance in the New Media Era

Current research on media governance emphasizes the technological aspect of information as a tool but lacks sufficient attention to the digital transformation of information subjects. This paper aims to focus on the internal information characteristics of rural governance in the digital age, thus understanding the changes of rural governance subjects in the information society under new media contexts. Based on more than a decade of fieldwork in rural areas of Beijing conducted by the research team, this study employs in-depth interviews and participant observation in a multi-case study, exploring the structural representation of rural governance from an information perspective. The research reveals that in the new media era, rural society, under multiple governance bodies, generates differentiated information stratification, specifically manifesting as instrumental rational information in the formal governance layer, proxy implementation information in the semi-formal governance layer, and livelihood-adaptive information in the informal governance layer. Among these, the authority-driven governance information in the formal layer is the core part of the rural governance system. The subjects and structures of information under multiple governance bodies are interconnected and coexist within the internal field of rural governance, subsequently driving the centralization of formal governance information, the collaboration of semi-formal governance information, and the alienation of informal governance information. This leads to the emergence of orderly information stratification within the multi-layered governance structure. Information stratification deepens the explanatory pathway of multi-layered governance in rural social studies and proposes new perspectives for understanding rural governance issues in the new media era.

Assessment of rural sustainable development and analysis and prediction of obstacles and coupled coordinated development: A case study of Zaozhuang City

In China, the Innovation Demonstration Zone for the National Sustainable Development Agenda is a key initiative for executing the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Zone also plays critical roles in addressing the developmental bottlenecks that China faces and sharing Chinese insights into global sustainable development efforts. On July 15, 2022, the State Council endorsed the Zone’s establishment in Zaozhuang City, Shandong Province, where it focuses on innovation-led sustainable development in rural areas. Research into the levels, impediments, interdependencies, and evolutionary trends of rural sustainable development is crucial. Therefore, this research aimed to assist in comprehensively assessing developmental challenges and facilitating the harmonious advancement of social, economic, and environmental aspects in rural areas. In pursuit of the three fundamental dimensions of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely development’s drivers, quality, and equity, this study was grounded in China’s national Rural Revitalization Strategy and the demands of sustainable development strategies. It also aligns with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the associated SDG indicators. Focusing on four key areas, namely production elements, natural elements, social elements, and rural governance, this study developed an evaluation index system for assessing the level of rural sustainable development. It employed a range of analytical models, including the game theory-based combination empowerment method, barrier degree model, coupling degree model, coupling coordination degree model, and gray prediction GM(1,1) model, to analyze the status and evolving trends of rural sustainable development in Zaozhuang City from 2015 to 2022. The key findings were as follows: ① Relative to the baseline year 2015, the sustainable development level in Zaozhuang’s rural areas has shifted toward an improved state overall. ② The primary barrier to achieving rural sustainable development in Zaozhuang is the city’s rural governance system. ③ While the components of rural sustainable development in Zaozhuang are in the early stages of both basic and moderate coordination, an overall enhancement has occurred in their integrative coordination. ④ Between 2023 and 2025, the level of integrative coordination in Zaozhuang is expected to rise steadily. However, reaching a state of advanced coordination will require additional time for development.

Analysis of Dilemmas Faced by Rural Revitalization in the Context of Digital Governance and the Path of Promotion: Taking Xi'an City as an Example

This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the dilemmas and paths currently faced by rural revitalization under the digital governance framework, using Xi'an, China, as an example. Rural revitalization is an important agenda in many developing countries, where integrating digital technologies into the governance process presents opportunities and challenges, focusing on how to use digitalization, a key component of modern governance, to promote socio-economic development in rural areas. This paper aims to reveal the complexities involved through analysis. The study is based on a mixed-methods approach, incorporating qualitative data from unstructured interviews with residents, as well as quantitative data from surveys and regional economic reports. It includes technology gaps, infrastructure constraints, digital literacy of the rural population, and how governance policies are adapted to local needs that affect the implementation and effectiveness of digital governance in rural revitalization. The study also explores the relationship between digital governance and rural revitalization, the relevance of digital governance ruralization, an analysis of rural digital governance, and rural digital governance practices. Ultimately, the thesis suggests potential ways to solve these dilemmas. And, it emphasizes the necessity that digital talent cultivation should be increased, new types of infrastructures should be improved, a rural governance system should be constructed, and policy frameworks for narrowing the urban-rural digital divide should be developed. This study contributes to the understanding of rural revitalization in the era of digital governance and provides insights into sustainable rural development and digital transformation. At the same time, the study results in the Xi'an region case may provide experience in solving similar situations globally.

Collective participation in conservation easements in rural China: Evidence from the Qianjiangyuan National Park

Conservation easements (CE), as an emerging conservation strategy in China, have gained successful collective participation within the Qianjiangyuan National Park with all its collectively-owned forestlands under easements. This study uses an analytical framework developed from the social-ecological systems (SES) framework to explore systemic inter-dependencies among social, economic, political, and natural processes that contextualize the agreements and patterns of interaction where collective participation is achieved. The results indicate that broader-scale variables under socio-ecological contexts, by affecting the resource system, government system, actor system variables, and their interactions, play a more important role in CE participation than sole individual variables. At the regional scale, changing socio-political factors have influenced rural communities' resource utilization and reduced economic dependency on logging activities, facilitating CE adoption. Within the focal action situation, collective participation was achieved under the rural governance system in which actors interact to form community-level consensus through rural self-governance and consultation, influenced by the mobilizing power of the authority. The case study in China demonstrates the feasibility of using CE as a forest co-management strategy in densely populated protected areas under a common-property regime and the necessity of considering both regional-scale factors and local dynamics in CE design and implementation.

Exploring Ways and Mechanisms for Farmers' Cooperatives to Participate in Rural Public Services

From the perspective of the path and mechanisms of rural integration, this article explores the logic behind the integration of cooperatives into rural governance, using the Hongyuan Farmers' Cooperative in Binchuan County, Dali City, Yunnan Province, as a case study.By leading villagers in development initiatives and embedding itself culturally and socially, the cooperative uses its organisational advantages to promote the healthy economic growth of villages and foster harmonious livelihoods among villagers. Through specific benefit-sharing mechanisms, the cooperative provides governance resources to the village collective, thereby strengthening the community's governance capacity. As the development of the farmers' cooperative progresses, the joint development of rural economic and public governance goals leads to the gradual formation of a new rural governance community.Practical experience shows that integrating the institutional strengths of farmers' cooperatives into rural governance, coupled with internal and external policy management, reshapes the governance structure of different rural governance units. This becomes a new direction for promoting the modernisation of rural governance systems and governance capacities. In essence, this article highlights how the cooperative, by integrating itself culturally and economically into the village, not only promotes economic growth but also empowers villagers to live harmoniously. Moreover, the incorporation of the cooperative's institutional strengths into rural governance redefines the structure of rural management units, suggesting a promising way to modernise rural governance systems.

Path and Model Innovation of Social Work Driving Effective Rural Social Governance in the Internet Era

Abstract Effective governance of rural society is an important element of the national governance system, and social work, as an important element of village construction, is a useful supplement to the rural governance system. After studying the mechanism of social work-driven rural social governance, this paper uses social work and the effectiveness of rural social governance as explanatory variables. It then designs relevant questionnaire scales and collects data from sample villages. We measure the relationship between variables using mathematical and statistical methods like correlation analysis and the PLS-SEM model to investigate how social work drives effective rural social governance. The results of the study show that “participation capacity,” “performance expectations,” “role position consistency,” “village identity,” “village autonomy atmosphere,” “government support,” “participation behavior,” and “participation effect” all influenced social work to drive the effective governance of village society (P<0.05). It is possible to play the role of the core leadership of the basic party organization in the countryside, improve the villagers’ awareness of self-governance, improve the system of village self-governance, and play the role of the villagers as the basic force in village governance. It can cultivate a perfect three-governance integration of rural governance systems, improve the cultural quality of villagers, and further enhance the effective governance of rural society.

Exploring the Optimization Path of Rural Governance in the Perspective of Three Governance Integrations

With the implementation of the new eras rural revitalization policy, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has explicitly set the goal of building a modern rural governance system, emphasizing the integration of self-governance, rule of law, and moral governance in the grassroots social governance system. Rural governance plays a crucial role in grassroots governance, serving as the foundation and key to social governance, and it holds significant importance in advancing the national governance system and governance capacity building. Therefore, this paper discusses the issues in rural governance from the perspective of Three Governance Integrations. Currently, the pain points of grassroots governance are particularly evident in three aspects: the inadequate effectiveness of rural self-governance, the hindered operation of rural rule of law, and the limited role of rural moral governance. Based on this, the paper innovatively proposes three solutions: deepening villagers self-governance, strengthening rural rule of law, and enhancing rural moral governance. By consolidating the foundation of rural governance systems, enhancing safeguard mechanisms, and establishing a robust support system, further development and improvement of the rural governance system in the perspective of Three Governance Integrations can be achieved.

中国基层党组织领导的乡村治理体系的健全完善研究

According to the basic requirements of the rural revitalization strategy for the improvement of grassroots party organizations, fully considering the obstacles to effective rural governance, county-level local governments and other rural governance entities can further improve the new rural governance system from the following seven aspects: Give full play to the role of grassroots party organizations in rural governance; improve the rural governance normative system that combines “self-government”, “rule of virtue”, and “rule of law”; innovate from the three dimensions of “point”, “line” and “surface” grass-roots party organizations; optimize rural governance; build a mechanism for integrating the interests of grass-roots party organizations; improve the coordination and linkage mechanism of discipline inspection and supervision areas; pay attention to the leading and enlightening role of “village sages” in the new era; and build a quantitative performance evaluation index system for rural governance.

RURAL WOMEN’S POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN CHINA： AN ANALYSIS OF THE METHODS OF RURAL GOVERNANCE MODERNIZATION

With the development of China’s industrialization and urbanization, many young and middle-aged men in rural China have moved to urban areas to work. The elderly, women and children are the main permanent residents in rural China, and women account for more than half of the agricultural labour force. However, Chinese rural women are obviously in a weak and marginal position in rural political participation, which is not equal to their contribution to rural development. In 2019, China announced plans to modernize rural governance. The core is to adapt to the change of time, reform the rural governance system that does not meet the requirements of practice and development, improve the new rural governance system that combines autonomy, rule of law, and rule of virtue under the leadership of party organizations, make the rural systems more scientific and perfect, and realize the institutional, standardized, and procedural governance of rural social affairs. Rural governance is the basis of national governance. Without the modernization of rural governance, there will be no modernization of national governance, and there will be no modernization of the country. At present, China is in the stage of building socialist modernization in an all-round way, and the modernization of rural governance has been put on the agenda. Therefore, this paper assumes that the modernization of rural governance in China provides a good opportunity to improve the political participation of Chinese rural women. It aims to explore effective approaches to enhancing the level of political participation among rural women and promoting the process of rural democratization in China within the context of rural governance modernization. It achieves this by examining the primary issues surrounding the current political participation of rural women in China and analyzing the main factors contributing to these issues.

Tata Kelola Media Sosial Bagi Penguatan Sistem Pemerintahan Desa Tanjungsari Kabupaten Serang

The use of social media has created various dependencies in all sectors of life, especially for strengthening the government system. This is because social media can be the most important information channel for strengthening the rural governance system. However, the main obstacle faced in using social media is the competence and knowledge possessed by village government officials. This service aims to enable village government staff to utilize social media to strengthen the government system, especially as an information channel. In community service in Tanjungsari Village, Serang Regency which was held on 28th July 2023, assistance was provided regarding social media management. The method used in this service is participatory counseling and mentoring. This assistance provided various knowledge about social media governance techniques, starting from admin management, creative content, copywriting, and viral management. The success of this activity can be seen in Village Government officials who can manage social media as village information channels and create creative content. From the results of this activity, it is known that social media governance can strengthen the government system in Tanjungsari Village, Serang Regency.

Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Rural Governance Demonstration Villages in China.

Rural governance plays a significant role in constructing national governance systems and promoting rural development. An accurate understanding of the spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors of rural governance demonstration villages is conducive to giving full play to their leading, demonstration and radiating roles and further promoting the modernization of rural governance systems and governance capacity. Therefore, this study uses Moran's I analysis, local correlation analysis, kernel density analysis and a geographic concentration index to analyze the spatial distribution characteristics of rural governance demonstration villages. Moreover, this study proposes a conceptual framework to construct the cognition of rural governance and uses Geodetector and vector data buffer analysis methods to explore the internal influence mechanism of their spatial distribution. The results show the following: (1) The spatial distribution of rural governance demonstration villages in China is unbalanced. The distribution difference between the two sides of the "Hu line" is significant. The peak appears at 30° N and 118° E. (2) The rural governance demonstration villages in China are clustered, which forms a high-density core area, a sub-high density belt, two sub-high-density centers and several single core concentration areas. Additionally, the hot spots of rural governance demonstration villages in China are mostly located on the eastern coast, tending to cluster in places with superior natural conditions, convenient transportation, and excellent economic development. (3) Based on the distribution characteristics of Chinese rural governance demonstration villages, this study proposes a "one core, three axes and multiple centers" spatial structure to optimize the distribution of rural governance demonstration villages. (4) A rural governance framework system consists of a governance subject subsystem and influencing factor subsystem. The results of Geodetector show that under the mutual leading role of the three governance subjects, the distribution of rural governance demonstration villages in China is the result of multiple factors. Among them, nature is the basic factor, economy is the key factor, politics is the dominant factor, and demographic is the important factor. The interaction network formed by general public budget expenditure and total power of agricultural machinery affects the spatial distribution pattern of the rural governance demonstration villages in China.

Evaluating of the sustainability of complex rural ecosystems during the transition from agricultural villages to tourist destinations and modern agri-food systems

Many agricultural villages have transformed from traditional agricultural communities into tourist destinations to eliminate the progressive degradation, abandonment, ecological and social crises that threaten sustainable development. Today rural villages are complex ecosystems that represent the result of the historical relationship between man and nature in the socio-economic dimension. A tool for assessing the sustainability of rural villages is the analysis of the interaction between man and the environment. Preserving healthy rural ecosystems, in dynamic balance with the interrelation between social development and the functioning of the natural ecosystem is an indispensable goal of sustainable development. All this leads to what the current traditional economic studies have ignored namely the study of the reasons of the economic reference indicators to suggest technical solutions, change strategies and sustainability for rural governance systems within of social development. This article proposes an economic study approach that integrates social and economic evaluation to research sustainable development models and socio-economic factors to achieve the well-being of the rural system. Considering Borgo Parrini, located in Sicily, the historical analysis has been combined with the social-economic one and linked to models of social development (traditional agriculture, industrialized agriculture and commercial tourism). Based on the methodology, economic indicators of the crops implemented in the countryside surrounding the rural village under examination were obtained and the corresponding socio-economic factors that have characterized the village from its birth to the present day were also reconstructed. The results show that the Borgo was born with the aim of being at the service of the agricultural activity of the neighboring countryside. The evolution of historical facts and the changes induced by the economic development models adopted in Italy have led to a transformation from a neighborhood agriculture to an industrialized agriculture. This model of agriculture adapted to the studied area had a negative impact and led to the impoverishment of the countryside and the removal of man from the territory. The potential impacts were explored with the evolution of the agricultural landscape and with the analysis of the economic activities in the area. The changes in the use of resources on the welfare of the system and their results indicate that technical solutions must be integrated with a governance system based on the relations of production, community and culture. To adopt a sustainable development model, it is recommended to use environmentally friendly agricultural techniques, methods of ecotourism and participatory governance between agriculture and tourism. The method proposed here for integrated governance provides a new perspective for the implementation of technical solutions in human society and the formation of sustainable development models that are positive for the rural, social and economic environment. • Rural villages can be considered complex ecosystems. • The development of rural villages requires an ecosystem approach.

Legal Path of Rural Revitalization for Decision-Making Risk Prevention of Internet of Things Algorithm

The implementation of the rural revitalization strategy is an important strategic plan to solve the social “three rural” problems on the new road of building a socialist modernized country in an all-round way. It is also the current society to promote the comprehensive rule of law and to create and improve a modern rural social governance system under the leadership of the party committee, the government is responsible, the society is coordinated, and the country is governed by law. However, due to the wide distribution of rural areas and the large population base of farmers, there are many risks in the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy. In the comprehensive use of economic, administrative, and legal means, legal means has become the key. For this reason, this article conducted in-depth research on the legal path of rural revitalization under the risk prevention of Internet of Things algorithm decision-making. The research results showed that the risk prevention of Internet of Things algorithm decision-making was introduced into the research on the legal path of rural revitalization, and a sound rural governance system that combined autonomy, rule of law, and morality is an important part of the revitalization of seven villages. It can improve the 2.67% effectiveness of risk prevention in decision-making and can also play a key role in ruling the country according to law, showing the correct direction of agricultural legal system construction and at the same time high-level rural construction and development under the framework of the rule of law. It will vigorously promote the comprehensive modernization of agriculture, the comprehensive progress of rural areas, and the revitalization and development of rural areas.

Study on Attention Allocation of Chinese Government in Promoting Rural Governance Based on the Contents Analysis of No.1 Central Document

Only when the villages can be effectively governed can the people live and work in peace and the country can develop steadily. Rural governance is the cornerstone of national governance and the foundation for rural revitalization. Under the leadership of the party, the concept of rural governance in our country has been continuously innovated, the rural governance system has been gradually improved, and the ability of rural governance has improved significantly. The paper adopts the government attention theory, uses text analysis methods and combined with ROST CM6 analysis tools to study the attention allocation of rural governance in the 23 Central No. 1 documents issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council. It is found that the text of the document reflects the changing trend of “the party and the government’s efforts to promote rural governance are deepening, and the areas of attention allocated to them are expanding” in rural governance. This not only reflects the macro guidance of the party and the government on the reform of rural governance, but also reflects the practical needs of the transformation of rural governance. The intensity and breadth of the party and government's attention to rural governance are not only the key influencing factors in the supply of resources in rural governance, but also an important supporting force for improving the rural governance system and building the cornerstone of rural revitalization.

Does the democratization level of village governance affect perceptions of security and integrity of land rights? -An analysis from the perspective of social network abundance

Improving the land property rights system is an effective way to enhance the rural economy and resist the effects of rural decay caused by rapid urbanization. However, in many developing countries, farmers' perception of the security and integrity of their allocated land rights, which is the core of farmers' decision making, deviates from the forms stipulated by formal land property rights systems. China is no exception in this regard. Based on two household surveys conducted in Jiangsu, Jiangxi, and Liaoning Provinces in China, which cover 2014 and 2018 information, this paper uses an ologit model to explore the impact of the democratization level on farmers' perception of land rights security and integrity and identifies the moderating effect of social network abundance. The results show that a higher democratization level of village governance enhances farmers' perception of the effectiveness of land certificates and the integrity of the bundle of rights but exerts an insignificant impact on farmers’ perception of land reallocation. We also find that social network abundance has a moderating effect. Social network abundance weakens the effect of democratization level on the perception of certificate effectiveness but enhance its effect on the perception of rights integrity. Furthermore, our findings provide a reference for reforming rural land property rights systems and rural governance systems during the process of developing rural revitalization strategies.

Experimenting with Urban–Rural Partnerships for Sustainable Sanitation in India: Learning from Practice

Local government partnerships for producing services are ubiquitous in many countries. However, the approach has rarely been applied in India—likely owing to a history of centralized planning and independent urban and rural governance systems. Nonetheless, the country’s transforming sanitation landscape could benefit from intergovernmental partnerships for scaling services with speed and efficiency. The ongoing national sanitation program has espoused the approach in theory but the body of practice to support its wide deployment is sparse. This paper critically reviews one of the first experiments with the approach for producing sanitation services in the Dhenkanal district, Odisha, India. We ask the question: what can Dhenkanal’s case tell us about the challenges and opportunities for delivering sanitation services through local-level intergovernmental urban–rural partnerships in India? As part of our practice research, we supported the district government pilot the approach. The data, consultations, and observations underpinning the experiment form the basis of our insights. We find that the urban–rural partnership increased access to sanitation services among rural households within a short period, lowered service charges, and clarified institutional responsibilities. The experiment highlighted issues relating to planning, responsibility, accountability, and financing that need tackling in order to strengthen the model going forward. We recommend that evolving a definitive model(s) of intergovernmental partnerships would require experimenting with the approach in diverse institutional contexts and granting governments the flexibility to recreate and renegotiate the form of the partnership.

Elite Participation’s Path on Rural Governance: A Case Study in China

As an essential part of national governance, rural governance is directly related to the modernization of the country. Under the background of the new era, as an important backbone of rural governance, the "rural elite" play a particularly significant role. Given that, this paper analyzes the self-assessment of comprehensive quality of rural elites by introducing the Entropy-TOPSIS method. Then from the four dimensions of institutional foundation, role perception, public expectation and external thrust, we construct a Structural Equation Model (SEM) for path analysis to explore how elites participate in rural governance and major influencing factors. The results show that with continuous improvement of the institutional foundation, the public would hold higher expectation for rural elites. Besides, the improvement of external thrust and the creation of a good external environment can be potential triggers for elites to play a positive role in rural governance. We believe that our results are of great theoretical and practical significance for accelerating the modernization of rural governance system and national governance capacity and realizing favorable governance in rural areas.

The Rule of Law Approach to Rural Governance in the New Era

To promote the orderly progress of rural governance in the new era and ensure the coordinated development of "three governance integration", we must fully understand the important role of the rule of law and clarify the positioning of the rule of law in the rural governance system. At present, the development of the rule of law in rural governance in China still has some problems, such as the unreasonable relationship between the subjects of the rule of law governance, the insufficient use of the endogenous rule of law culture in rural governance, and the insufficient rule of law services in rural governance. To promote the legalization of rural governance, we must straighten out the relationship between multiple subjects of rural governance and promote coordinated governance; Fully tap the endogenous cultural resources in rural areas and optimize the environment of rule of law; We will improve the rule of law service system for rural governance and improve service quality.

The Time Value and Implementation Strategy of Rural Points System

This paper aims to clarify and explore the contemporary value and effective strategies for the rural point system through policy analysis and literature research and provide theoretical explanations and countermeasure suggestions for its implementation. The rural points system is created in the dual variation of rural social structure, cultural concept, value identity transformation and grass-roots governance model transformation. It is the sum-up of governance experience and thought innovation of mass autonomy under the leadership of grass-roots party organizations, and constructs good governance and good discipline scheme for rural life. To fully implement the rural points system, we should grasp the dual values. First, we should promote the modernization of rural governance system and governance ability from the aspects of grass-roots party construction guidance, governance system construction and governance efficiency transformation. Second, we are supposed to focus on such key elements as rural industry, ecology, rural lifestyle, governance and living, and help promote rural revitalization as well as accelerate agricultural and rural modernization. To fully implement the rural points system, we should adopt effective strategies to reconstruct the main body of rural points governance by maintaining and respecting the practical interests, initiative and reasonable demands of the masses of farmers. By strengthening the integration of information technology and media technology, to improve the governance system integrating rural integral government services, governance information transmission, and the expression of governance demand. By improving the farmers’ self-government system, we will mainly assess village public affairs, villagers’ governance rights and rural points achievements, and innovate the points governance mode of “jointly construction, co-governance and sharing”.

Research on the Path of China's Rural Green Development under the Governance System of "Three Integration Governance"

The governance system of "three integration governance" reflects the organic relationship of mutual supplement and restriction among autonomy, rule of law and rule of virtue. The governance system of "three integration governance" is not only the inevitable requirement of China's modern rural development, but also an important path to realize China's rural green development. The governance system of "three integration governance" provides multiple subject forces, legal system guarantee and spiritual and cultural power for the smooth implementation of China's rural green development. Discussing China's rural green development from the "three governance integration" rural governance system not only has important theoretical value, but also has a far-reaching practical impact on solving the practical problems faced by China's rural green development.