China : Urban Services and Governance

Brixi, Hana

China : Urban Services and Governance

Autores

Descripción

The study addresses governance challenges in public service delivery in China. It builds on the citizen scorecard survey conducted in five Chinese cities in 2006 to gauge citizens experience with public services, and demonstrates the usefulness of citizens feedback for policy development and implementation. The survey found that citizens were generally pleased with urban public services, but worried about the associated fees. Compared with the official urban residents, the urban poor and rural migrants in cities reported sharper utilization constraints, lower readiness to complain or pay informal fees, and a much larger income share spent on public services. The reported citizens perceptions sometimes diverged from the evidence and pointed to significant information asymmetries. Explaining the survey results, the study reveals problems of inadequacy, inequality and misaligned incentives in public resource allocation. The study presents several successful experiments reducing the dependence on user fees in basic education and primary healthcare. It recognizes that China has been undertaking comprehensive reforms to enhance equity and quality in public service delivery. Such reforms have included measures to strengthen the regulatory, monitoring, and enforcement systems and accountability relationships. In the context of the ongoing reforms, this study highlights the need to: a) hold the provincial governments accountable for public service delivery performance; b) develop effective mechanisms to align public resources and incentives at each level of government with the national priorities; and c) develop proper means to empower the citizens. In this context, the study affirms that the Chinese government is rightly placing reforms in the intergovernmental, administrative, and public finance systems at the top of its agenda.

Palabras clave

ACCOUNTABILITY, ACCOUNTING, ADMINISTRATIVE BARRIERS, ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEMS, APPROPRIATE INCENTIVES, AVERAGE INCOME, BASIC EDUCATION, BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE, BASIC NEEDS, CHILD SURVIVAL, CITIZEN, CITIZENS, CIVIL SOCIETY, CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION, CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS, CLINICS, COMMUNITY HEALTH, DECISION MAKING, DISCRIMINATION, DISSEMINATION, DRUGS, EARTHQUAKE, ECONOMIC ANALYSIS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC GROWTH, EQUAL TREATMENT, EQUALIZATION, EQUITABLE ACCESS, FAMILY PLANNING, FEWER PEOPLE, FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS, GENERAL PRACTITIONERS, GOOD GOVERNANCE, GOVERNANCE CHALLENGES, GOVERNANCE ISSUES, GOVERNANCE REFORMS, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, GOVERNMENT POLICIES, GOVERNMENT SPENDING, GROUNDWATER, HEALTH CARE, HEALTH CENTERS, HEALTH FACILITIES, HEALTH INSURANCE, HEALTH OUTCOMES, HEALTH PROVIDERS, HEALTH SERVICES, HEALTH SYSTEM, HEALTH SYSTEM REFORM, HEALTH SYSTEMS, HOSPITAL, HOSPITALIZATION, HOUSEHOLD INCOME, HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, IMPORTANT POLICY, IMPROVING GOVERNANCE, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, INEQUALITY, INEQUITIES, INFORMED CHOICES, INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS, INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK, INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS, INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS, INSURANCE SCHEMES, INVESTMENT CLIMATE, LABOR FORCE, LACK OF AWARENESS, LARGE CITIES, LAWS, LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, LOCAL LEVEL, LOCAL LEVELS, MARKET ECONOMY, MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, MEDICAL STAFF, MEDICINES, MIGRANT, MIGRANT WORKERS, MIGRANTS, MIGRATION, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, MINISTRY OF HEALTH, MOTHER, MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS, MUNICIPAL LEVEL, MUNICIPALITY, NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS, NATIONAL LEVEL, NATIONAL LEVELS, NATIONAL POLICIES, NATIONAL POLICY, NATIONAL PRIORITIES, OUTPATIENT CARE, PATIENT, PATIENTS, PER CAPITA INCOME, PERFORMANCE INDICATORS, POLICY DEVELOPMENT, POLICY RESEARCH, POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER, POLLUTION, POOR HOUSEHOLDS, POPULATION GROUPS, POSITIVE EXTERNALITIES, POVERTY ALLEVIATION, POVERTY REDUCTION, PRACTITIONERS, PRIMARY EDUCATION, PRIMARY SCHOOLS, PRIVATE SCHOOLS, PRIVATE SECTOR, PROGRESS, PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS, PROVINCIAL HOSPITALS, PROVISION OF SERVICES, PROVISIONS, PUBLIC, PUBLIC AFFAIRS, PUBLIC AGENCIES, PUBLIC AWARENESS, PUBLIC FINANCE, PUBLIC HEALTH, PUBLIC INVESTMENT, PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, PUBLIC RESOURCES, PUBLIC SCHOOLS, PUBLIC SECTOR, PUBLIC SECTOR GOVERNANCE, PUBLIC SERVICE, PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY, PUBLIC SERVICES, PUBLIC SPENDING, PUBLIC SPENDING PROGRAMS, QUALITY CARE, QUALITY OF CARE, QUALITY OF EDUCATION, QUALITY OF SERVICES, QUALITY SERVICES, RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, RESIDENCE STATUS, RESOURCE ALLOCATION, RESPECT, RICHER POPULATION GROUPS, ROADS, RURAL AREAS, RURAL RESIDENTS, SAFE WATER, SCHOOL FEES, SCHOOL YEAR, SECONDARY EDUCATION, SECONDARY SCHOOLS, SERVICE DELIVERY, SERVICE DELIVERY SYSTEMS, SERVICE PROVIDER, SERVICE PROVIDERS, SERVICE QUALITY, SERVICE UTILIZATION, SERVICES FOR CHILDREN, SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS, SOCIAL COHESION, SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, SOCIAL SECTORS, STRATEGIC PRIORITIES, STRATEGIC PRIORITY, SUBNATIONAL LEVELS, SURGERY, TAX, TRANSPARENCY, URBAN AREAS, URBAN POOR, URBAN POPULATION, URBAN PUBLIC SERVICES, URBAN SERVICES, URBANIZATION, USER FEES, UTILITIES, WATER POLLUTION, WATER RESOURCES