Research On The Policies And Accelerating The Progress Of Narrowing Provinces In China

This thesis makes a systematic exploration of the formation and development of provincial system in China, the origins and developments of narrowing provinces. The thesis makes a comparative study of the provinces in China and the first-level administrative regions of some countries, and makes an analysis of the disadvantages caused by the too large area of some of the provinces and the sharp contrast in provincial areas. The disadvantages mainly include the addition of management hiararchies, lowering of administration efficiency, rise in administration costs, adverse impact on regional economic development and state security, and the increase of power of provincial governments against central government.The thesis further analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of narrowing provinces. The advantages of narrowing provinces chiefly are that it facilitates economic development, increases administration eficiency, benefits state security, and promotes unity of nationalities. The disadvantages of narrowing provinces are also obvious: the rise of financial costs in the pre-operation stage, the possibility of social unrests when it is under operation, adverse influence on relations among ethnic nationalities and inconveniences to peoples's life.The author of the thesis thinks it now mature to narrow the provincial area. Firstly, there is good mass basis, i.e. people hope the administrative hiararchies will be reduced by narrowing provinces, thus accelerating economic development. Secondly, there is the material basis, i.e. the increasingly strengthened finances and the rapid developments in transportationand telecommunications. Thirdly, there is theoretical guidance, i.e. great progress has been made in the research on the narrowing of provincial area and relatively feasible plans have been designed. Fourthly, the establishment of Hainan Province and Chongqing Municipality provides very good patterns for narrowing provincial area. Fifthly, the pilot work of"enlarging the power for counties"in Zhejiang Province and Hubei Province offers necessary experience for the reform of narrowing provincial area.When offering policy recommendations regarding the narrowing of provincial area, the thesis fist of all exponds the fundmental principles of narrowing provincial area, namely the narrowing of provincial area should be in accordance with current political needs, the division of economic regions, and it should also take into full account the...