A Comparative Study On The Local Government Reform And The Change Of Urban-Rural Relations Between China And Britain In The 20th Century

Britain was the first industrialized country in the world.With the population flocking into cities to seek employment opportunities,the urban population gradually surpassed the rural one,which made Britain the prototype of a modern urbanized society as early as in the middle 19th century.But what followed was not only the prosperity of cities,but also urban diseases and rural-urban conflicts,among which one of the most severe ones was land use conflict.The British people’s fond of countryside since ancient times and the emphasis on agriculture and farmland developed during World War Ⅱ make protecting rural land particularly important in Britain.With the development and expansion of cities,the small plots of land under their administration gradually could not meet their needs for housing and industrial use.However,due to the great autonomy of local governments in Britain,and the fact that county governments and county borough governments were independent administrative units,it was difficult for county boroughs to obtain the land they need from counties.Fortunately,the introduction of the Urban Rural Planning Act of 1968 and the local government reform in 1974 in Britain have effectively addressed this issue,not only easing the tension in urban land use,but also promoting the development of rural urbanization,thereby promoting the healthy development of urban-rural relations.As the largest urbanized country in the world,China is still facing many problems in its further urbanization and constantly exploring ways to promote urban-rural relations.Since the reform and opening up,varying degrees of changes and reform to local governments(administrative divisions)based on economic and social development have been made.China has also been committed to addressing the imbalance issue of urban-rural development and pursuing coordinated development of urban-rural integration.Therefore,this thesis selects Leicester and Leicestershire in Britain,as well as Weihai and Wendeng in China,as cases to analyze the impact of local government reform,which were carried out in the two countries since the second half of the 20th century,on urban-rural relations.Although the two countries are at different stages of urbanization,their similarities and differences can still be effectively compared.After analysis and comparison,it is argued that China’s urban-rural development and urban-rural relations can draw inspiration from the urban-rural development model of Britain from the 1970s to 1990s,which is to achieve more reasonable allocation and utilization of resources,especially land resources,through cooperation and integration among different levels of local governments in a larger geographical range.Utilizing the advantages of China’s political structure,local governments at different levels can achieve mutual coordination.Based on this,efforts can be made to solve the problem of tight urban land use and promote the urbanization development of rural areas.At the same time,importance should also be attached to the protection of rural areas.This study aims to make certain contributions at both the theoretical and practical levels.In theory,this thesis enriches urban studies by combining local government reform and urban-rural relations,and provides new ideas for divergent research in both areas.In practice,based on the comparison and analysis of materials and the development model of Britain,this thesis provides suggestions for the development of urban-rural relations in China,which will offer reference value for the future development of urban-rural relations in China.