Research On The Fundamental Utility Of Local Government’s Power And Responsibility List Institution

As General Secretary Xi Jinping said,the reform and opening up in the new era has many new connotations and characteristics,among which a very important point is that the weight of institutional construction is heavier,and the reform is more faced with deep-seated institutional mechanism problems.The requirements for the top-level design of the reform are higher,and the requirements for the systematization,integrity,and synergy of the reform are stronger.Correspondingly,the task of establishing regulations and systems is heavier.In this context,the Party and the state have implemented local government’s power and responsibility list institution and positioned it as an important foundational institution for promoting the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity,emphasizing the need to fully leverage its "foundational institution utility".The institution has been vigorously implemented nationwide since 2013.From the empirical research results of the academic community and the implementation effect evaluation of the government sector,there is a gap between the actual utility and the expected utility of the list institution.So where is the "gap" and how to narrow the gap? This study responds to the issues.On the one hand,we should enhance "rational cognition",explore the basic content and generating process of the fundamental utility at the theoretical level.On the other hand,we should correct "practice bias",explore the realization,obstacles,and implementation paths of the fundamental utility at the practical level.This research has certain theoretical value and practical significance.Based on the theory of new institutionalism and government process,this study constructs and applies a "result-process" analysis framework for institutional utility.This analysis framework is based on result thinking and incorporates expected and actual results into the result analysis of institutional utility.Based on process thinking,factors such as institution,environment,and institutional stakeholders are included in the process analysis of institutional utility.In ideal condition,the fundamental utility of the local government’s power and responsibility list institution is the expected state,which is the driving and supporting function in the field of administrative system,with the goal of achieving government construction and development,based on the core values of "confirming power" and "clarifying responsibility".It is mainly manifested in three aspects: standardizing the performance of government power and responsibility,optimizing the organizational form of the administrative system,and promoting the transformation and development of the government.This article takes the fundamental utility of the local government’s power and responsibility list institution as the "expected result" and analyzes the "expected process",that is,to explore the generation process of the fundamental utility under the interactive relationship of " institution-environment-institution stakeholders ".In terms of " institutionenvironment",the institution should actively respond to the environmental requirements and changes.In terms of " institution-institution stakeholders",the institution should be integrated into the norms of organizational behavior,organize and characterize the legal relationship of powers and responsibilities,applied into government self-control,social supervision,public services,administrative system reform and other scenarios,constrain the process of using power and fulfilling responsibilities.At the same time,the effective interaction between "institution-environment-institution stakeholders" requires supportive mechanisms,namely "guarantee mechanisms",mainly including information sharing mechanism,dynamic adjustment mechanism,legal linkage mechanism,"technology+platform+talent" support mechanism,publicity and promotion mechanism,supervision and evaluation mechanism,and performance appraisal mechanism.At the practical level,through the content analysis of 31 provincial government power and responsibility lists and 67 provincial government documents,with the help of in-depth interviews conducted with 74 government personnel from three levels of government in Province A to G in China,based on the existing judgments of the government and academic community on the institution utility,this study uses "fundamental institution utility" that should be as a "reference" to investigate the actual implementation,and finds that the local government’s power and responsibility list institution has played an important role in standardizing the performance of government power and responsibility,optimizing the organizational form of the administrative system,and promoting the transformation and development of the government,but its role in performance appraisal,accountability,reform decision-making is limited.Further,this study compares the generating process of the fundamental utility at the due level,sets inspection dimensions and identifies the utilization obstacles of the fundamental utility.According to the interview results and text analysis,the main manifestations of the utilization obstacles are the insufficient responsiveness to environmental changes,the weakened coordination and supervision role of the authority,the limited application,and the "failure" of the guarantee mechanisms.The main causes include shortcomings in institutional design,path dependence of the "big government" model,cognitive bias among government personnel,conflicts of interest caused by power adjustment,and weaknesses in the ability of organizations and individuals.Furthermore,this article aims to fully realize the fundamental utility of the local government’s power and responsibility list institution,clarifies the basic ideas for realizing the fundamental utility,including thinking concepts,guiding principles,and basic directions,and further discusses specific strategies.On the one hand,it is necessary to coordinate and promote the adjustment process of the power and responsibility list institution,adhere to "optimized thinking",strengthen the construction of the power and responsibility list institution in a legal manner,standardize the preparation mode of the power and responsibility list,and proceduralize the management of the list institution.On the other hand,it is necessary to enhance the legitimacy,authority,and democracy of the power and responsibility list institution with political support,enhance the awareness and recognition of the institution with a public spirit,break the benefits shackles with linkage reform,and improve the quality and efficiency of the implementation with ability and competence.