Governance Studies

（Bimonthly）

Volume 40，Number 5，Sep.2024

ABSTRACTS

Comprehensive Deepening of Reform to Advance China’s Modernization

Expert Roundtable on Learning and Implementing the Spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central CommitteeLIU Wei，HE Xianming，SHENG Manhong and CHEN Lixu（4）

Abstract：The “Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Promoting Chinese-style Modernization” reviewed and adopted by the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee states that “Chinese-style modernization has been continuously promoted in the course of reform and opening up， and will open up broad prospects in the course of reform and opening up.” The important guarantee for Chinese-style modernization is a high-level， socialist market economy. The essential requirement is to develop people’s democracy throughout the whole process. Chinese-style modernization is the harmonious coexistence of man and nature， which entails a modernization of the harmony of material and spiritual civilization. Further deepening a well-rounded reform involves economic， political， ecological， and cultural fields. The development of the private economy and the expansion of private enterprises are of great significance to the construction of a high-level socialist market economic system. Over the next five years， the important tasks of developing the private economy and expanding private enterprises have five aspects： 1） market access and fair participation in market competition; 2） equal access to the factors of production; 3） equal legal protection; 4） an improved social credit system; and， 5） an improved corporate governance system. The basic process of constructing a modern Chinese-style， social governance system is to lead through party building that empowers the pluralistic and integrated social cooperation governance structure; to activate the governance mechanism of co-construction， co-governance， and sharing within the whole process of grassroots democracy; and， to enhance the overall effectiveness of social governance with the integration of multiple governance mechanisms. In the framework system of deepening the reform of the ecological civilization system， the basic system of ecological civilization is the “foundation”， the ecological environment governance system is one “pillar”， and the green and low-carbon development mechanism is the other “pillar”. The guarantee mechanism of deepening the reform of the ecological civilization system requires cooperation， compatible incentives， and supervision and inspection. The establishment and improvement of the system， including assessment and evaluation standards， must put social benefits first， but realize the unification of social benefits and economic benefits such that there is a link between the social responsibility of state-owned cultural enterprises and their performance assessments. In other words， the “soft indicators” of social benefits should eventually become “hard indicators”.This is conducive to the real implementation of the principle of unifying the two benefits by giving play to the guiding role of the “baton” in creating a harmonious society.

Keywords：comprehensively deepen reform；China-style modernization；private economy；ecological civilization system；ecological civilization system；state-owned cultural enterprise

Pairing Assistance：A Scale Governance System with Chinese CharacteristicsWANG Hongwei and ZHOU Guanghui（27）

Abstract：Pairing assistance is a product of contemporary Chinese local practices and an important institutional innovation in the scale governance of the country. By means of “pairing-assistance”， this system innovation has solved to a certain extent the dual dilemmas of the scale governance burden and the non-equilibrium faced by contemporary China in the process of promoting national modernization. The generation and evolution of pairing assistance has gone through three stages： incubation and inception， establishment and expansion， and consolidation and improvement. The ideology of “great unification” and the excellent traditional culture such as “one world one family” have laid the ideological foundation for it. Through the coordination of the state and the orderly guidance of social forces by the Party organization under the unitary system， pairing assistance has built a concentric circle of governance in which the Party and the government share responsibilities. The “administrative contracting system” and the “project system” provide the inherent logic for achieving scale governance through burden transfer and differentiation in specific fields. The goal of building China’s independent knowledge system requires further practical research on pairing assistance， which must be refined in terms of science and chemistry. This will entail completing the transformation of practical discourse into academic discourse and elevating the experiences of Chinese governance to theory.

Keywords：pairing assistance; scale governance; non-equilibrium; institutional innovation; scale effect

Grid Management： The Infrastructure of China’s Grassroots GovernanceZhANG Jie and WANG Shizong（42）

Abstract：Grid management is a policy tool originating from local practices. After years of diffusion and innovation， it has become the infrastructure of China’s grassroots governance. Its essence lies in leveraging information technology to divide grassroots public affairs into grid patterns. Grid management can break down departmental barriers， achieve vertical integration， and shift the focus of governance downward. Through assessment and accountability， it can also implement responsibilities with a unique operational mechanism to better achieve social management and public service goals. The emergence of grid management has not only significantly influenced the basic forms of public affairs governance such as bureaucracy and social networks， but it has also injected new elements into those Chinese-style governance methods. Thus， grid management directly affects the modernization of China’s state governance. Although grid management is essentially a product of the positive transformation of the hierarchical system， it does produce some negatives， such as unreasonable responsibilities and accountability， the squeezing-out of the rights of some groups， and compressing social autonomy. However， with further innovation and development， grid management could significantly aid the process of modernizing state governance in China.

Keywords：grid management; bureaucracy; network governance; digital era

Multiple Development Dilemmas of Oldest-Old Women in China and Governance StrategiesWANG Xuehui and DU Peng（53）

Abstract：With the rapid changes in Chinese society and the intensification of population aging， the oldest old women are facing complex challenges. Based on data from the 1998， 2008， and 2018 Chinese Longevity and Healthy Living Survey （CLHLS）， this study analyzed the multiple dilemmas encountered by the oldest old women at the individual， family， and social levels. At the individual level， this group of women often face， among other concerns， educational inequality and cognitive decline， sub-optimal health status， and limited self-care abilities， as well as feelings of loneliness and negativity. At the family level， they often encounter widowhood in later years， living alone in an empty nest， low economic autonomy， and insufficient care resources. At the societal level， issues such as inadequate medical security， imperfect elderly care systems， and the absence of long-term care insurance are even more prominent. China’s oldest old women are an important focus in the governance of aging societies. Countering these problems requires the construction of a comprehensive governance strategy framework that includes the micro， middle， and macro levels. The governance path must accurately identify， scientifically assesses， and actively address these issues to equitably modernize the governance system’s capabilities and to enhance the quality of life and well-being of China’s oldest old women.

Keywords：oldest-old women; multiple development dilemmas; aging society; governance strategies

The Impact of Grandparent-Provided Child Care on the Reproductive Behavior of Chinese Women of Childbearing AgeZhANG Yongmei and GU Hejun（70）

Abstract：As women step out of family work and become professionals， grandparent-provided child care has become an important support force for families and childbirth. This study used the China Family Panel Studies （CFPS） survey data from 2016， 2018， and 2020， to analyze the impact of intergenerational care on the reproductive behavior of Chinese women of childbearing age. Grandparent-provided child care increased the fertility rate of women of childbearing age from 5.6% to 5.8%. Further， the study’s heterogeneity analysis found that grandparent-provided child care has a more significant impact on the reproductive behavior of women of childbearing age from low-income families and those with low education levels. In the context of relatively scarce social childcare services， grandparent-provided child care plays an important role in women’s reproductive decision-making and behavior. It will take time for China to rebuild its social childcare service system. In the transitional stage， it is necessary to guide the concept of “family state integration” and incorporate grandparent-provided child care that is timely， safe， and low-cost into the construction of a universal childcare service system. This is an effective path to fill the gaps in China’s basic public services， to solve the problem of infant and child care， and to improve the population’s fertility rate.

Keywords：grandparents’child care; reproductive behavior；positive fertility support

Women of Childbearing Age Accelerating the Development of China’s Child Welfare System：A View from the Developmental Theoretical Perspective

LIU Lijuan（83）

Abstract：Accelerating the construction of the child welfare system will not only provide powerful support for modern families， but it will also promote the development of the population. Reviewing the historical changes to the core concepts of child welfare， this study proposes a “developmental theoretical perspective”.This analytical view is based on observations of the relationship between children， families and the State， as development-oriented universal child welfare has been established. From this perspective， compared with OECD countries， China’s child welfare system lacks universality in its value orientation， is insufficiently based on the developmental welfare of its subjects， and its targeting system for policy objectives is not diversified. China should instead move towards a universal child welfare system that reflects social， economic， and demographic reality. This means expanding child welfare to mean more than mere survival. China should move towards a development-oriented welfare. Ultimately， any system must achieve child protection and development， the alleviation of parental burdens at the family level， and the promotion of fertility at the national level， as well as investment in human capital.

Keywords：high-quality population development; child welfare; developmental theoretical perspective

Enhancing the Political and Organizational Functions of Party Organizations： Historical Development and Theoretical ImplicationsLIU Honglin and YANG Ning（98）

Abstract：As an organic， unified whole， the political and organizational functions of Party organizations are complementary rather than parallel or equivalent. They represent a theoretical and practical relatir86tBA5yXuRXK/oRSqAtta7LNpX9C1+lKlT2iFKfr84=onship between “what is” and “how to do”. Party organizations through their organizination functions provide material support for， and practical implementation of， their political function. By examining the historical development trajectory of enhancing the political and organizational functions of Party organizations in various historical periods of the Chinese Communist Party， three basic lessons can be drawn. First， Party leadership—the Party’s historical mission—and its political and organizational functions are mutually reinforcing; they are centered on Party leadership and the Party’s political line. Second， the Party’s organizational system， political function， and organizational function are also complementary， necessitating the use of the Party’s organizational system as a carrier that strengthens Party organization building as a guarantee for the realization of party functions. Third， while the political and organizational functions of the Party exhibit a holistic nature， they also have hierarchical and temporal differences among Party organizations at different levels. A profound understanding requires thorough analysis based on the dynamic balance within the Party’s organization system-structure-function.

Keywords：Party leadership; political function; organizational function; Party organizational system; dynamic balance within Party organization system-structure-function

From Digital China to Mathematically Manageable China——The Historical Mission of A VisionYU Junbo（116）

Abstract：As has been made clear， “building digital China is an important engine to promote Chinese-style modernization in the digital era”.But， does the vision in the “The Overall Layout of Digital China”address and respond to the most prominent practical challenges in Chinese-style modernization such that the Overall Layout can fulfill the mission of turning China into a “mathematically manageable” country Drawing on classical perspectives from organizational rationality analysis， this study used a conceptual framework to investigate the extent of to which modernization in state organizations could be established. The framework was later used to explore the boundaried connections among Digital China， the modernization of state organizations， and the national governance system. Balancing instrumental rationality and value rationality in this conceptual framework corrected the bias towards viewing technology importation and adoption as sufficient conditions for organizational modernization. The modernization of state organizations is not simply about efficiency increases in technology and equipment， but rather their endogenous pluralistic compatibility and dynamic response to public value. To achieve the vision of Digital China， the nation must develop a technology-enabling plan with reasonable costs and benefits， clear divisions of responsibility， and compatible performance assessments and incentives. This will inevitably require greater explorations of the “platform” wisdom of demand symbiosis and the value co-creation now existing between the ruling party and the state， the central and local governments， and the state and the society.

Keywords：digital China; mathematically management; state organization; modernization

Research on the Policy Experimental Strategy in the Role Transformation of Central and Local Governments—— Shenzhen ’s Practice as An Exemplar

ZHENG Chongming （133）

Abstract：Both the central government and local governments are important subjects for policy experimentation， within which their roles have a logic of mutual conversion. Factors such as policy goals， politics， risks， costs， and benefits have a significant impact on the transformation of their roles. When policy objectives are vague， the central government will delineate political risk red-lines， using risk investment strategies. However， when clear policy objectives and controllable risks are presented， the central government will provide a top-level design. After considering a local government’s resources and risk exposure， the center will choose a single “point” strategy. Shenzhen’s experience with policy experimentation provides ample evidence of the phenomenon.

Keywords：central-local relationship; policy experiment；role transformation；policy objective;political risk

The Algorithmic Governance of Labor Rights in the Digital Age： Generative Logic and Optimization PathWU Shuai，SHI Jiawei and ZHU Danyu（147）

Abstract：In the digital age， the management of the labor has undergone great changes. New requirements are needed for the algorithmic governance of workers. This paper discusses the generative logic and optimization path of algorithmic governance in the digital labor scene， starting from the control of the algorithmic labor process. The lack of algorithmic governance of workers has brought new changes to controlling workers’time， space and assessments. These changes have inspired workers to seek new protections for their rights and interests. Their demands mainly include off-line rest， humanization of labor rules and fairness in pay deductions. The protection of workers’ rights and interests calls for an optimization strategy of “algorithmic good governance”， which requires us to move from disorder to a conscious and deliberate order.

Keywords：digital labor scene；labor process management；labor rights；algorithm control；algorithm governance