Sustaining Administrative Reform in China Through Path Dependence and Creation

This book looks into the processes sustaining the administrative reform in Chinese local government and the roles of different actors during different phases by tracing a vivid administrative reform process in Shunde district, Guangdong province between 2009 and 2014. In 2008, Chinese central government initiated a new round of large-scale, top-to-bottom administrative reformmega-ministry administrative reformto address the long-lasting administrative problems. Against this background, the reforms in Shunde government (county level) operated well and sustained for several years, which was enlarged to the administrative licensing field and hence influenced China's reforms in the following 10 years. Shunde case could allow us a better peep at the factors that contribute to the sustenance of reform. The analyses in this book find that sustenance of reform reflects, ironically, the logics of both path dependence and path creation. The past reform trajectories have created a favorable background for further reform to evolve, and a receptive ground in which exogenous forces interacted with the local reform-minded actors to create the new reform innovations. The combination of path dependence and path creation kept local reform afloat.

Provides a deepening understanding of the local administrative reform process in China Identifies the key factors that contribute to the sustenance of local reform Illustrates the difficulties and potentials for China's future reform

Autorentext

Dr. Liang graduated from Public Policy Department of City University of Hong Kong in 2015. She now is an assistant professor at School of Government, Shenzhen University. Her research interests are the politics of China, local government reforms in China, and the collaboration of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. She has published dozens of Chinese and English articles in journals and conducted several international and provincial level research projects.

Inhalt

1. Introduction.- 2.Overview of the administrative reform in China.- 3. Kick off: Government restructuring in 2009.- 4. The second phase: Administrative licensing reform, 2010-2011.- 5. Deepening of the administrative licensing reform: since 2012.- 6 . The latest reforms in Chinacontinued without substantial breakthrough.- 7. Conclusion