China : Urban Services and Governance

Brixi, Hana

China : Urban Services and Governance

2009

Brixi, Hana

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.

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accountability accounting basic education basic needs civil society civil society organizations decision making discrimination drugs economic analysis economic development economic growth family planning government agencies groundwater health care health insurance health services hospital household income household surveys income distribution laws local government medicines migrant workers migrants migration municipal governments patient patients pollution poverty alleviation poverty reduction primary education private sector public finance public health public investment public participation public sector public services research institutions resource allocation roads rural areas secondary education social development urban areas urban poor urban population urbanization water pollution water resources

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Important policy; Medical staff; Strategic priority; Progress; Per capita income; Quality services; Service providers; Lack of awareness; National levels; Equal treatment; Fewer people; Health facilities; Local level; Subnational levels; Quality of education; Citizen; Surgery; Administrative systems; Governance challenges; Policy research working paper; Investment climate; Service delivery systems; Clinics; Institutional framework; Practitioners; Utilities; Human development; Citizens; Public sector governance; Quality care; Service delivery; Medical professionals; Civil society organization; Equalization; Institutional mechanisms; Secondary schools; Social sectors; Health systems; Public; Appropriate incentives; Market economy; Positive externalities; Public resources; Policy development; Transparency; National policies; Mother; Services for children; Population groups; Governance reforms; Institutional reforms; Urban public services; Institutional arrangements; Municipal level; Community health; Child survival; Migrant; Ministry of education; Informed choices; Residence status; General practitioners; National policy; Service utilization; Urban services; Insurance schemes; Quality of services; Private schools; Public service delivery; Health system reform; National governments; Tax; Dissemination; School year; Public service; Rural residents; Quality of care; Public agencies; Set of recommendations; Public spending programs; Provincial hospitals; Service provider; Ministry of health; Municipality; Basic infrastructure; Health centers; Equitable access; Public awareness; Health outcomes; Respect; Provision of services; Hospitalization; Good governance; Social cohesion; Earthquake; Policy research; Richer population groups; Financial constraints; Service quality; Provincial governments; School fees; Public spending; Strategic priorities; Primary schools; Administrative barriers; Safe water; Large cities; User fees; Average income; Local levels; National level; Governance issues; Inequities; Performance indicators; National priorities; Government policies; Health system; Provisions; Poor households; Public affairs; Public schools; Inequality; Local governments; Government spending; Level of development; Improving governance; Outpatient care; Health providers; Labor force

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CC BY 3.0 IGO, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/, World Bank

En AGRIS desde: 2024-10-18

Fecha de modificación: 2025-04-17

Formato: Dublin Core

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Este registro bibliográfico ha sido proporcionado por World Bank

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