Source: "Beijing Administrative College" 2016 (2), page 1-7

Yang Hong-Shan, professor of SPAP of Renmin University of China.

Li Dong-Quan, associate professor of SPAP of Renmin University of China.

In the urban community construction, a view is that street office prevented the residents' autonomy, and for the realization of good governance, it is necessary to withdraw the city district offices, instead that government departments provide public services directly to residents. To enhance the capacity of community governance, since the 1990s, some reforms have been carried out at some cities such as Baixia District of Nanjing, Shijingshan District of Beijing, Tongling, and Guiyang, where the district offices have been abolished instead of public service provided directly to residents by District Government.

Case study results indicate that a success of revocation of the street office reform. To date, some of these pilot cities have been back to the start, and some have established a new community service organization, the name of which has changed, but took almost the same responsibilities as original street. Over time, the matter has been handed over to the district government administrative departments, and gradually passed to the community service center. With the increase in assume matter held by community service center, it has a tendency to expand staffing.

Based on the investigation of American urban governance, population size of many small cities is similar to the resident population in street jurisdiction. Trying to revoke urban neighborhood offices, is equivalent to revocation of medium and small cities of the American system of government, and it is inevitably encounter problems. In American, Cities are divided into administrative service area, branches to provide public services to residents under centralized municipal, institutional arrangements. At the community level there is Community Council as well. Some members are appointed by the Government, and provided financial support. Community Board will be responsible for the supervision of public service review of land, use adjustment, zoning changes, and propose annual budget comments and so on.

China owns huge urban population, of which population Street jurisdictions are generally more than 10,000, some even up to several hundred thousand, resulting in heavy task to the provision of public services, therefore, it is necessary to set up an integrated agency, to assume the government related matters. Working Committee, the Office coordinate the relevant departments and agencies in the community, to work together to deliver public services. Street office should not be revoked, nor should be transformed into grass-roots government.

As to the problem that street bear much too heavy task leading to community organization administrative issues, it is necessary to establish mechanisms of administrative affairs sinking hooked with funding support from street office and staffing. With the government powers decreased, it is necessary to increase civil servants and career preparation at sub-district office, and a part of the invisible government employees should be turned into formal staffing.

In order to improve the urban grass-roots management system reform, it is necessary to promote the following reform: to accelerate the legislative process of neighbour organizations, to promote neighbour offices standardization; to clear power range of street, to develop a list of responsibilities, to perform responsibility and linked to the preparation; to enhance the overall planning and coordination capability of street; to promote community and neighbour service station separation, and the action items from community service station are taken by street; to promote government to purchase social services, and take the use of market mechanisms and social forces, to improve public service delivery ability and quality.

Public Administration scholar description:Yang Hong-Shan, professor of SPAP of Renmin University of China, doctor tutor, chief editor of "Public Administration and Policy Review", and he serves as the member of the National Policy Science Association, the Beijing Urban Management Association, mainly engaged in intergovernmental relations, policy innovation and implementation of urban governance. He has published many articles in "Political Science", "World Economics and Politics," "Chinese administration", "Renmin University of China" and other core journals, and was the author of "Economic Globalization and political development", "Intergovernmental Relations Theory "" municipal management "(fourth edition) and so on.