Governance and public administration in China

Abstract

Pressing new (and old) challenges have put systems of governance and public administration under pressure around the globe. In this era, there is an ever greater need to globalise academic knowledge and learn from divergent systems. China has traditionally been held up as a suis generis exemplar of a particular mode of governance. An updated understanding of modern China and Chinese research on public administration stands to enrich the discipline by challenging old myths and assumptions or by empirically demonstrating some enduring features. G geopolitical significance, it is also an important focus of study. This article outlines the key features of the Chinese system of government, governance and public administration. It maps the contours of the evolution of the study of public administration in China from the start of the twentieth century to a more mature and globally connected discipline in the present day. It also summarises articles in this volume which shed new light on power, governance and public administration in modern China. They also provide new insights into governance and public administration theory. The volume shows that China has seen some localisation and decentralisation, alongside experiments with collaboration and networked based policy making. However, the system of governance and public administration remains innately top-down and centralised with the center holding strong policy levers and control over society. As the pandemic revealed, this statist approach provided both governing opportunities and disadvantages.

Role of legal regulation in the establishment and development of the public administration system with local self-government aspects

“…W. Liu et al (2022) emphasise the key features of China's system of power, governance, and public administration, and describe the evolution of public administration studies from the early twentieth century to a modern, mature, and globally connected discipline. It is noted that China is undergoing localisation and decentralisation, as well as experimenting with cooperation and network-based policymaking.…”

“…Thus, Germany is one of the most successful examples of a continental legal system with an exemplary level of decentralisation of local governments (Ryu, 2023), while the UK has peculiarities due to the Anglo-American legal system (Bincof & Çetin, 2023). Instead, the Chinese model of governance is determined by the influence of communist ideology and Asian tradition on a large scale, which is a unique example for the modern world (Liu et al, 2022).…”

“…In the context of China, the real role of the government was defined as somewhat limited, especially when compared to the positioning of government functions in legal acts. This was justified by the fact that the development of the socialist market economy and the influence of the international New Public Management movement led to the government losing its status as a single entity of public administration (Liu et al, 2022).…”

The Role of Public Administration in Ensuring State Security: Strategies and Mechanisms of Implementation

“…It becomes evident that ensuring national security is only possible with effective public administration and its strategic implementation. However, Liu et al (2022) argue that the parameters of ensuring national security in world countries significantly depend not only on the efficiency of their public administration but also on the dangerous challenges of the contemporary world that exert considerable pressure on national public administration systems. Thereby, they intensify the influence of destabilizing factors and diminish the level of national security.…”

Industrial parks for people and planet: Assessing their contribution to sustainable regional development

“…The People's Republic of China's governance system is defined by the Communist Party of China (CPC) as a one-party state (Guo, 2020) the executive, legislative, judicial, control, and examination power. (Liu W. et al, 2022). The CPC maintains effective control over government affairs, winning the majority of votes as no significant opposition exists.…”