The Study On Citizen Participation In China’s Administrative Decision Making

Facing increasingly severe international situation and increasingly complex domestic governance environment, many countries begin to reexamine and reestablish their national development strategies and governing philosophies. In order to respond effectively to the crisis of legitimacy in power and domestic economic crisis, some Western countries have been conducting theoretical research and practice of government reform, actively trying to direct citizen participation in government administrative decision-making process of building multi-centered pattern of governance. Great changes in social transformation in all fields have been challenging Chinese governance philosophy and power operating mechanism. From the1980s, citizen participation has increasingly become an important issue to the Chinese government as well as experts and scholars.There have been many changes in citizen participation since1978. The number of people that involved in citizen participation has increased. The ways of citizen participation have been diversified. Citizen participation scope has been widened. And people’s aspiration to participation has strengthened. This thesis carries out a study of current citizen participation in China’s administrative decision-making, and finds out4main problems. First, administrative information is far from public. Second, the executive staff is unable to respond efficiently. Third, the actual range of citizen participation is limited. Fourth, non-institutionalized participation weakens the impact and effectiveness of citizen participation in government decision-making. Then the dissertation discusses and analyzes the reasons for these problems from4aspects—the influence of traditional political culture, administrative decision-making mechanism, the legal system, and participation channels.In response to these problems, based on the existing relevant research achievements, China’s national and social conditions, and the people’s needs, the thesis puts forward strategies and suggestions to further improve citizen participation in administrative decision-making:First, the government should learn from Western countries the experience and practice of changing the thought of decision making, train the executive staff to work more efficiently, improve the administrative decision-making system, and increase public awareness of participation. Second, channels of citizen participation should be smoothened in ways of ensuring the public access to government’s information and building up closer relationship between deputies to the People’s Congress and the public. Third, forms of citizen participation need to be diversified by promoting the development of e-government and regulating online public participation. Fourth, the system of citizen participation in administrative decision-making should be improved by founding and developing social organizations. Last, a sound legal system ought to be established to facilitate further citizen participation.