China S Civil Service Reform

As part of China's overall reform process, China's civil service has also been reformed, beginning in the late 1970s, undergoing a major change in 1993 with the implementation of a new Civil Service System, with the reforms continuing to unfold thereafter. This book, based on extensive original research, outlines the civil service reforms and assesses their effectiveness.

This book considers the role that the Hong Kong civil service could and should play in the transitional period leading to the resumption of Chinese sovereignty in 1997. Examining in detail structural issues, the changing role of the civil servant, and the political environment, the contributors argue for a comprehensive program of administrative reform that would maintain civil service credibility, stability and efficiency in an increasingly hostile political climate.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the organization, problems, issues and prospects of the civil service in Hong Kong. It examines the origin and development of the civil service, efforts to deal with the changes before and after the transition, and the process of managing public services with references to its changing role and responsibilities. The book will be of interest to academics, civil servants, professionals and students, as well as researchers interested in the role of civil servants in changing societies, and can be used for teaching courses on public administration and Asian studies.

This book analyses public sector reform comprehensively in all parts of China’s public sector – government bureaucracy, public service units and state-owned enterprises. It argues that reform of the public sector has become an issue of great concern to the Chinese leaders, who realize that efficient public administration is key to securing the regime’s governing capacity and its future survival. The book shows how thinking about public sector reform has shifted in recent decades from a quantitative emphasis on 'small government', which involved the reduction in size of what was perceived as a bloated bureaucracy, to an emphasis on the quality of governance, which may result in an increase in public sector personnel. The book shows how, although Western ideas about public sector reform have had an impact, Chinese government continues to be best characterized as 'state capitalism', with the large state-owned enterprises continuing to play an important – and increasing – role in the economy and in business. However, state-owned enterprises no longer provide care for large numbers of people from the cradle to the grave – finding an alternative, efficient way of delivering basic welfare and health care is the big challenge facing China’s public sector.

As agents of the state, civil servants play a central role in public governance and socioeconomic development. In developing countries, an effective civil service pay system may provide strong incentives for better public service and rein in corruption, whereas poor remuneration can fuel corruption and discontent among civil servants.Grappling to develop a well-functioning pay regime has challenged the PRC since its birth. Over the past decade, reforms implemented in the civil service pay system have been closely associated with legitimacy change (from an economy-based approach to welfare-based one), income distribution and central-local relations. However, these reforms have sparked a heated debate over their legitimacy, effectiveness and direction. By examining the complexities of this situation and the tug-of-war over remuneration among different players, this pioneering study deepens our understanding of the internal tensions with which China's reform process is fraught.

This book examines, in detail, the political context within which the civil service operates, including the role of the central government in Hong Kong SAR civil service policy making, the changing leadership role of Hong Kong's administrative elite, and attempts by the government to boost executive accountability since 2002.

One of the very first studies of public administration by Chinese and Western experts who evaluate specific reforms, personnel administration and compensation, and administrative law.