| Publication |
2014.
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| Summary/Abstract |
Since 2005. China has witnessed the emergence of a new form of administrative organization. In contrast with the earlier model of "City Jurisdiction Over Counties." which placed counties under the jurisdiction of cities. a new pilot program known as "Provincial Administration of Counties" has been launched. This program places counties and county-level cities under the direct administration of provinces. instead of prefecture-level cities. The central state has played a modest role in implementing this pilot program. whereas provincial and country-level governments have taken a more proactive approach. The central
movement hopes that such a reform can address development imbalances that exist between counties and cities. Meanwhile. provincial governments see the reformats as a way to promote economic develop mint initiatives in counties and county-level cities. However. the implementation of reforms at the local level is not proceeding smoothly. This is mainly due to an asymmetry of power in city-county relations. itself' a legacy of earlier economic reforms that created the City Jurisdiction Over Counties system. This asymmetry has prevented ttrbanruraz tensions from being resolved. lnstead. such tensions have been shifted t'lownward to the city district level or upward to the regional level.
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