On Public Service Provision For Agricultural Production In The U.S., Japan And India

Giving preferential support to agriculture production has been a popular trend since the establishment of the World Trade Organization, and an important boosting agriculture drive policy all over the world. To provide public services is one of the major functions of all governments. However, how to provide those services vary from state to state, so does the role that the government, the society and the market each play in the process. In one word, there is a great discrepancy between states in their concrete measures of public service provision.This dissertation focuses its attention to three typical countries with respect to public service provision for agricultural production—the United States, Japan and India. It analyzes their concrete measures of public service provision, their provision performances and effects. Moreover, the dissertation makes a deep analysis of the role of different actors concerned and the political process involved in the public service provision in these countries. On this basis, the dissertation, furthermore, sums up the function of both the government and farmers in the public service provision in the field of agricultural production. The following is the outline of the dissertation.The introductory part explains the reason for doing such a research and its significance, the current related research both at home and abroad, the research methods, the structure of the dissertation and the innovations and defects of the research.Chapter one is "Public Services Relating to Agricultural Production and its Relation with the Development of both Economy and Society". This chapter gives a definition to and makes a classification of public services in agricultural production, and then illustrates their importance in the development of agriculture and rural areas and even in the national economical and social development. Finally, this chapter makes a theoretical analysis of the demanding actor and providing actor of those services in agricultural production.Chapter two is "The United States Model of Multi-actor Participation in the Public Service Provision for Agricultural Production", mainly focusing on the experience of the United States. To start with, the chapter illustrates natural and economic conditions of agricultural production in the United States. Next, it gives both an introduction to and an exposition of the specific provision ways of the United States in the light of agricultural extension, rural road construction, rural electric power supply, rural telecommunication supply, agricultural credit and agricultural insurance. Then this chapter expounds the political process of public service provision. Finally, the chapter draws a conclusion that the public service provision for agricultural development in the United States is characterized by multi-actor participation, an unobstructed expressing public service demand mechanism, abundant theoretical guidance and a consummate statutory guarantee.Chapter three is "Japanese Model of Collaboration between the Government and Farmer Cooperatives in Public Service Provision in Agricultural Production", focusing on Japan experience. After introducing the natural and economic conditions of Japanese agriculture production, this chapter not only elaborates on the concrete measures of providing public services with reference to agricultural scientific research and extension, soil improvement, agricultural information supply, purchase and sale service, agricultural credit and agricultural insurance but also dilates upon the political process involved At the end of the chapter, it pinpoints the characteristics of Japan public service provision for agricultural production—the collaboration of the government and fanner cooperatives, an unobstructed expressing public service demand mechanism and a consummate statutory guarantee.Chapter four is "Indian Model with the Government as the Dominant Actor in Public Service Provision for Agricultural Production", focusing on India experience. Again after introducing natural and economic conditions of Indian agricultural production, this chapter introduces and discusses not only the specific provision ways concerning agricultural scientific research and extension, rural road construction, irrigation system, rural electric power supply, rural telecommunication, agricultural credit and agricultural insurance, but also the political process involved. It comes out that the characteristic of the Indian public service provision for agricultural production is that the government is the dominant actor in the public service provision, and there is lack of farmers' participating mechanism.Chapter five is "Comparison between the United States, Japan and India in the Public Service Provision in the field of agricultural production". The comparison is conducted around such aspects as the role of the government in public service provision, farmer cooperatives' development level and their role in public service provision, the major demands for public services in the field of agriculture production, the efforts and effects of providing public services. What's more, the chapter probes into the reasons which result in the discrepancy among the three countries from miscellaneous aspects, such as natural conditions, economic development level and the status of agriculture in national economy, agriculture production scale and agriculture structure, social evolution, culture and tradition and etc.Chapter six is "The Role and Function of the Government and Farmers in the Public Service Provision for Agricultural Production". The chapter maintains that the government is the dominant actor and main supplier while farmers are the demander and collaborative supplier in the public service provision system. The government should enhance the development of farmer cooperatives to make them play a more important role in the public service provision in the field of agricultural production.The concluding part is a brief summary, urging that under new circumstances China, in order to build up its agriculture, should devote its major efforts to providing public services in the area of agricultural production. China should set up a provision model with the government as the major supplier, farmer cooperatives as the collaborative supplier and private enterprise as the supplementary supplier.