Agricultural Township of the direction of administrative reform

Paper Keywords: agricultural-based towns, administrative reform, grassroots Democracy

Abstract: This paper argues that the level of agriculture-based rural conflicts rooted in the current financial system and administrative system. This paper argues that agrarian reform and rural administrative system should meet the governance and rural social development, should be directed to the system through the gradual reform and improve the basic system within the building. Strengthening the effectiveness of the township government.

Agricultural Township is agriculture as the main industry revenue mainly from the agriculture and rural communities. According to Professor Xu Yong divided views township, the township administrative reform should not engage in "one size fits all" type of agriculture should be business oriented town with the distinction between town and township treatment. This distinction is mainly based on two reasons: first, the development prospects of the two different path selection should also be different. agriculture-based rural development prospects of small towns. As more and more of the agricultural population is gradually added industry society, shrinking the rural people and the land conflict mitigation, rural areas is expected to achieve common prosperity. business prospects for the development of township is a small city in the direction of administrative reform should be the municipal system. Second, there are differences between the background of the reform. With the gradual deepening of rural tax reform, especially after the abolition of agricultural tax, agricultural-based town a serious shortage of revenue, the need to question their existence, let alone its effectiveness, and business oriented town is the main problems and functions of township government is not valid distorted.

First, the agriculture-based rural background and the reasons for administrative reform
1. Under the existing financial system of agriculture based township serious shortage of revenue
Established in 1994 to redefine the financial management system of the central, local government financial authority and powers between the scope and strengthen the central government's macro-control ability, clearly the responsibility of all levels of government, power, money. Originally by the central government hopes to gradually Deepening the reform package established under Provincial intergovernmental distribution of financial resources below the provincial framework, but below the provincial system reform has not made significant progress in recent years, property rights and the division of powers model deviates from the pattern of emergence of two. the provincial government and municipal governments to follow the central level of revenue concentration, resulting in the county and township fiscal deficit to increase. At the same time the basic powers of township government has not diminished but rather increased. township government in addition to providing regional public goods, the implementation of central policies to implement higher levels of government assigned the task, but also To a certain extent, to support local economic development (performance-driven and dominated by the pursuit of economic interests can be owned.) property right and the township government severely restricted the powers of the asymmetry as a capability. tax reform, particularly since the abolition of agricultural tax, which more prominent contradictions that rely heavily on local taxes, most of the agricultural-based rural finance class reduced to a "dinner finance." Only to maintain the township government to survive.

Agriculture-based rural financial income of less than could have two explanations: lack of absolute and relative deficiencies. Absolute lack of financial self-system and is the abolition of agricultural tax, the township fiscal revenues. Can not maintain basic financial expenditure was rigid, the township administrative inefficiency. The relative lack of means of agricultural-based town much of the limited financial income for the maintenance of a large expanding township administration, which used to provide regional public goods and the implementation of Shangji mandates for Zijin relatively insufficient. This determines the type of agriculture to solve the two ways Financial Crisis: an increase in disposable wealth, or township less for maintenance of township government ��ת agricultural funds, Xiangdui increase for the performance of its normal functions required resources. which is the scope of an administrative reform.

2. Type of administrative system under the pressure of the township administrative performance of agriculture-based
In a single system and the unified leadership of the national governance system, the township government as a subsidiary body of county government, whose main function is to explain the variety of tasks to complete higher level. In the performance evaluation of "one vote veto" under the pressure of the township government had to Most efforts to cope with the numerous financial resources for the various standards, such as "Six P", "compulsory education", education "double-base, 'compliance, Family Planning standards, oil every village, a variety of activities room standards and so on. The decentralization of powers not only led to the expansion of the scope of the functions of township government, but also directly contributed to the township government institutions and personnel expansion. Accordingly, as a grassroots organization of state power system, the township government to provide for the performance of its normal functions regional public goods and public services is greatly reduced.

In addition, the township government agricultural type often exhibit a strong inertia of self-aggrandizement, often extended to functions of the authority, the lead organization and staffing of the expansion. It showed obvious "self-satisfaction",''self-service " characteristics, resulting in administrative action has pursued economic gain or financial gain trend.

Second, agriculture-based rural administration basis and starting point for reform
As part of the country's political system reform, administrative reform of agriculture-based rural township level should not be limited to resolve the contradictions and problems, also in line with national governance and the rural social and economic development. Countries need a stable development of rural society, the "three rural" concerns are based on this. country needs as the government, through its grassroots to ensure its control of rural society and the ability to extract resources (including the legal resources to maintain and strengthen). The concern of farmers in rural society The value of common prosperity is the protection of their basic rights to ensure that the existing gap in equality and dignity of character to maintain. agrarian township administrative system, needs a liberal perspective in order to examine the existence of Township Government the necessity and functions of the position. too much focus on the contradiction between town and township government level, may be able to resolve conflicts, but may not be able to meet the governance and rural social and economic development.

Agricultural Township government exists therefore the need to discuss. Revocation of the township government may be able to resolve some conflicts on the township level, but it does not meet the need. This is not so much the liberation of the government to farmers, as it is the government to farmers abandoned. With ease the burden on peasants, while the social problems in rural areas return the farmers. This program is essentially laissez-faire peasant autonomy, but look at the current social situation and the reality in rural areas will find that this is not the reality.


If you recognize the existence of agriculture-based with the need for township government, its necessity should be based on new administrative functions. In other words, agriculture-based town government for its continued existence must provide adequate and reasonable grounds: governance and rural-based social and economic development needs agriculture-based town government should fulfill the following basic functions: first, to provide regional public goods and public services. This is the town justice grassroots governments rational basis exists. township government in the area of its jurisdiction to public affairs is responsible for, such as law and order, rural education, small water conservancy facilities, rural roads, social assistance, community environment, health and epidemic prevention. Second, the implementation of tasks assigned by higher levels of government, to perform basic management functions. in a single system, the vertical integration of the administrative system has the function of society . This function is for the vast rural areas through direct implementation of higher-level government policies and directives of the township government to achieve. township government must fulfill its basic management functions, such as household registration, disaster relief special care, population and family planning, land management, etc. . Third, the services of rural economic development. township government charged with the complex management responsibilities and tasks should not be able to be responsible for the economic growth target, but the township government should step in promoting rural economic development. scattered, individual farmers in the face of the market is undoubtedly absolute disadvantage position. According to Olson's theory, scattered farmers to achieve self-organization is not easy. agrarian township government on the one hand can facilitate the building of self-organization of the rural economy, on the other hand can also use their own resources to provide for farmers market information and financial and technical support. If the traditional rural society to change civil society, farmers and small communities rely on the alliance against the Great Community (government),], then, in the absence of a small but much-needed community development period, you need grass-roots government The joint response with the farmers market and the development of small community. Fourth, the law guiding the work of the village committee, village, through the planning, etc. Coordination of international relations and Public Affairs to assist rural communities.

To sum up, agriculture-based rural administrative system should be based on socio-economic governance and rural development needs, and should not be limited to resolve the contradiction between town and township government level. Agrarian towns need is a valid and promising grass-roots government township , not despite the lack of efficient low-cost but the township government. reposted elsewhere in the Research Papers Download http://www.hi138.com of an agricultural system based township administrative Choice
1. Gradual reforms within the system
Gradual implementation of reforms within the system on the premise that there is certainly need for township government and its correct positioning functions. Township government to perform its functions only with the authority and capacity to time, we can discuss its effectiveness. According to Michael Mann's point of view Government power can be divided into two categories: absolute power and basic rights. dictatorial power refers to the government elite, "not the normal social groups with the national consultation" on the powers could be implemented. The Government's absolute power and breadth of the extent of its force to measure. "refers to the basic power of government can actually deep and civil society in fields throughout the jurisdiction of a reasonable ability to implement its political decisions." measure the effectiveness of the basic power to. At present the drawbacks of Agricultural Township is that authoritarian governments more than power, and lack of basic rights. So far, the government implemented a series of policy measures to basically solve the problem of excessive authoritarian power.

Gradual reforms within the system is through the gradual reform of the current administrative system, financial system and address the shortcomings of the revenue and expenditure Agricultural Township to perform the basic functions of the contradictions and conflicts between and performance driven. This program is the essence of the basic priorities of township government the problem of insufficient power, the establishment of an effective rural grass-roots government. This option is mainly based on the understanding that the main contradiction of agriculture-based rural farmers and the township government is not the contradiction between, but the lack of efficiency of the township government and village community the township government's urgent need for effective conflict between the farmers need a strong grass-roots government to protect its interests and rights, to guide the rural economic development, and material abundance.

2. Direct election of township
Implementation of direct elections of township, currently the most common and typical of Sichuan. Direct township, has gone through the nomination of a candidate, campaign, voting and other procedures, the essence of modern Democracy is equivalent to the West. Advocates direct election of township is mainly based on two reasons: First, corrupt officials out of concerns of rural grass-roots level, the second is that the elected government to bring more justice, to promote the development of rural society. promoting rural grass-roots Democracy, and its essence is a priority over absolute power of agriculture-based rural issues and that Democracy can solve the basic problem of insufficient power.

Democracy in the modern sense, according to Schumpeter's view, only a politician or policy-makers have the procedure. "Kind of democracy is to make political decisions for the implementation of institutional arrangements, in this arrangement, some people achieved through the ballot for the people the power to make decisions. "Schumpeter's view, democracy as a form or procedure, has its fundamental weakness: the election is essentially a vote of business activities, the inevitable sale of votes, the campaign often struggle the inefficiency of public affairs, elections are not necessarily qualified to be elected politicians or policy makers. These weaknesses in the agriculture-based rural level is almost universal. democracy as a form of politics, does not guarantee the results of its operations necessarily conducive to political development and social justice. Moreover, the agriculture-based rural power shortage of the basic functions of government from the township dislocation and lack of material resources of power protection, even with the township elections, an elected township created the current system can not break through restrictions, the same inaction. implementing rural grassroots democracy can not solve the basic rights of Agricultural Township shortage problem, and can not achieve the effectiveness of government agricultural-based towns.

If a government is unable to perform basic government functions, then no matter what form it takes, its people can not benefit from it. The ultimate goal of democracy is to make the majority's interests and requirements are protected. If it can not achieve this
Purpose of democracy as a form of government organizations to become only the form itself, as the protection of the rights and interests of citizens will lose their means of instrumental value. In fact, from the Western democracies need to support specific social conditions. As Huntington says "Modern democracy is a product of Western civilization, it is rooted in social pluralism, the class system, civil society, faith in the rule of law, witnessed the experience of representative institutions, spiritual authority and the separation of secular authority and to adhere to individualism, all of which in a thousand years ago began to emerge in Western Europe. These elements may be found in other civilizations in which one or two, but as a whole, which exists only among the West. If we ignore these elements, democracy may be obtained just a form.


Although democracy is the goal or the method of how the debate has never stopped at the town level, the implementation of the "democracy" has the obvious tools to color. And regardless of the current implementation of agriculture-based direct election of township does not really have the condition. Even to achieve the election of Western-style , due to institutional constraints, it makes the essence of modern liberal democracy could be more thorough, that is, "change the ruler" (Huntington language). the current system component to engage a large grass-roots democratic retreat, while the state rural community will gradually transferred to the control of rural society emerging political elite and economic elites. In the current rural China, these elites may be the only two people, one is rich in rural society, one is closely related with the higher levels of government or have other social resources or organizational resources of the people. this kind of "democracy" and whether it helps to promote justice, to promote rural economic development is debatable. More importantly, it is far away from the needs of farmers in China. The farmers need votes but not the money, not a personal right to vote a brief display, but the objective life of financial security. farmers are not free from economic inequality more conditions. through democracy in the form of the real meaning of democracy This is not only difficult to achieve, and clearly exposed the so-called "democracy" falsity.

Throughout the process of democratization in Western countries, we can see that democracy is the process of historical development of social class or class struggle and compromise between its founding and development of significance is not sacred, it is only from the social development of social history need a system product. the essence of modern democracy is a compromise can be achieved so that the institutional arrangements. The reason why democracy is respected because of its development to adapt and maintain the internal development of capitalist society and harmony. Western democracy and its development, its fundamental purpose is not to protect the rights and interests of all citizens, not to guarantee the implementation of the concept of popular sovereignty. In fact, Western liberal democracy for the protection of people's sovereignty, in essence, it is difficult to achieve. China should be based on the current conditions to explore the national governance and the democratic form of social development. Democracy is a noble meaning, but not the only form of democracy.

In fact, the Government is not the merits of the popularity of the right to vote, but rather whether the government needs its citizens to make appropriate response, is whether we can achieve the purpose of governance and welfare of the people. I fell even more in favor of the Li Cheng's view, "the concept of democracy from the maintenance of the value of ideas, it seems that we should pay attention to the purpose of democratic values. If a society people can enjoy the benefits of freedom and equality of life, rather than to deliberate pursuit of 'political participation' in the free and equal value. perhaps we can make the emancipation of the mind, designed to promote better governance to achieve this objective. This should be the true value of democracy lies. "
To sum up, agriculture-based administrative system should be consistent with the township and village governance needs of social and economic development, its basic direction should be to strengthen the effectiveness of the township government. Gradual reforms within the system may not be the best option, the risk is indeed controlled with minimum cost feasible solution. rural issues complicated one to solve the fundamental problem is impossible. rural problems require a long process, so need to recognize the value of agricultural-based town government, need to look at more radical reform discussion program. Since the reform is a long process, according to the needs of reform is worthy of consideration and discussion, this may not be on the rational ego. Links http://www.hi138.com Research Papers Download