Problems of Grassroots Multiple Governance in Rural Areas and Recommendations

Xiangfeng XU

School of Government, Yibin University, Yibin 644000, China

Abstract Grassroots multiple interactive governance has become a development trend in rural grass-roots social governance. In rural grassroots governance, the government should take the lead, party organizations and leaders jointly participate, social organizations provide a platform, villagers give play to their awareness of being the master, and village committees coordinate the organization and participation, take meeting public interests and achieving good governance as the goals and public affairs multi-party participation and democratic consultation as the starting points, to promote the overall harmonious development of rural society.

Key words Rural grassroots, Multiple governance, Problems, Recommendations

1 Introduction

Rural grass-roots governance is the terminal link of the national governance system. It has the characteristics of democracy in the governance process, diversity of governance methods, complexity of governance content, and multiple governance subjects. Multiple governance subjects mainly refer to joint participation of governments, social organizations, grass-roots party organizations, village committees, and villagers in grass-roots affairs to solve public problems. In China, the rural population still accounts for the majority of the total population, and rural grassroots governments have a large jurisdiction area. To administer rural areas well needs the cooperation and coordination of multiple subjects, so as to realize harmonious development of the rural political, economic, and cultural undertakings, and build beautiful and modern countryside. However, from the current point of view, the autonomy awareness of rural residents is generally not high, and the awareness of being the master is not strong. The government’s intervention in grass-roots autonomous organizations is too large, which affects their autonomy. At the same time, due to the imperfection of the development of rural social organizations, their role in rural grass-roots governance is relatively limited. Therefore, the research and analysis of the practical problems of grassroots multiple governance in rural areas will be of great significance for China’s future overall revitalization of rural areas and the realization of modernization of governance systems and capabilities.

2 Concept definition

2.1 Grassroots governance in rural areasThe social governance theory first appeared in western countries, and its original meaning was control, guidance and manipulation. James N. Rosenau is one of the main founders of governance theory. He defined governance as a series of management mechanisms in the field of activities, which, although not officially authorized, can also function effectively[1]. In the opinion of professor Yu Keping, governance refers to the process of political management, it includes the normative basis of political authority, the way in which political affairs are handled, and the management of public resources. It focuses on the role of political authority and the use of administrative power in maintaining social order in a limited area." Governance refers to an activity supported by a common goal. The subjects of these activities are not necessarily the government, and they do not need to rely on the coercive force of the state[2]. Some scholars have extended the concept of governance to rural grass-roots governance. They believe that rural grass-roots governance is common management of village-level affairs through democratic consultation within the rural areas with the participation subjects such as public, social organizations, and rural residents represented by the government, based on the identity of the administrative village and the community of interests[3]. Rural grassroots governance has the characteristics of multiple feature, complexity, negotiation, and innovation.

2.2 Grassroots multiple governance in rural areasFor the subjects of grass-roots governance in rural areas, researchers agree with the perspective of multiple feature rather than single feature. There are traditional authoritative governance subjects such as township governments, village branches and village committees and there are also non-authoritative governance subjects such as rural elites, rural non-governmental organizations, and the majority of villagers. Based on the degree of connection between the subjects of rural governance and the state power, Xu Yong and Zhu Guoyun (2013) divided the subjects of rural governance into three categories: (i) the state power organization, including township party committees and governments, village party branches and village committees; (ii) various forms of non-governmental organizations, such as business organizations, non-profit organizations, and mutual benefit organizations; (iii) semi-governmental and semi-non-governmental organizations[4]. In this paper, we divided the grass-roots governance subjects in rural areas into five categories: township governments, village-level grass-roots party organizations, village committees, social organizations (profitable and non-profit), and rural residents. These subjects play different roles in rural governance. They jointly make up the main participants of rural governance.

3 Analysis on problems of grassroots multiple governance in rural areas

In some rural areas, especially in underdeveloped areas, due to the greater intervention of township governments in the autonomy of rural villagers, the overall willingness of rural residents to participate in grassroots governance is weak. In addition to unclear responsibilities between village committee and party organizations and the imperfect development of social organizations, in the process of multi-subjects coordinated governance, there often appears poor communication between various actors. As a result, it is difficult to fully express public opinion, accordingly leading to frequent occurrence of conflicts between village committees and social organizations, weakened government credibility, and shirking responsibilities for handling public affairs. These are manifested in the following aspects.

3.1 Communication between the subjects having barriers and public opinion not fully expressedAt present, the relationship between some rural grass-roots governance participants usually remains in a relatively tense state, and the intention of each other has not been fully communicated and exchanged, there is still no communication mechanism especially between villagers and township-level governments. Because the township governments still dominate the rural governance, and the complexity of rural governance process determines that no matter what governance model is adopted, it is required to follow the people-oriented principle, and public opinion is the starting point and objective of governance. There are two main reasons for the poor communication between rural residents and township governments. (i) The communication channel is relatively single, and it is difficult for villagers to fully express their willingness and opinions. The opinions of villagers are generally collected by the village committee and then fed back to the township government. However, in the implementation of many major political guidelines, the village committee itself has limited autonomy and is often constrained by the township government. In the long run, villagers do not trust the village committees, consequently influencing the villagers’ active participation in public affairs. Once a major event involving self-interest occurs, due to the poor communication channels and distrust of village committee and village cadres, many villagers will hold the idea of "asking the government as long as there is some matter" and take blind and unconventional methods to ask township government to resolve the matter. (ii) Insufficient publicity and deviations in villagers’ policy understanding. Although the system and mechanism for open village affairs have been established in rural areas, due to the limitation of cultural level and understanding ability, many villagers still have difficulty understanding the specific content of superior documents. The township government, as the lowest-level policy enforcement agency, plays a role of communication and coordination in implementing national policies and collecting public opinions. However, due to the complexity of rural social affairs and the arduous task of policy implementation, the grass-roots government departments are often tired of handling with the tasks assigned by their superior government. In addition, the implementation of policies and measures should be carried out under the leadership of grass-roots party organizations, and the village committees should give full play to their "link" function. However, in the actual implementation process, due to poor understanding of the policy connotation and selective, self-explanatory communication based on self-interest, the village committees often fail to effectively convey the state guidelines and policies to the masses[5]. In this situation, it requires the participation and cooperation of various social organizations, but the development of social organizations in most rural areas in China is not very sufficient, and there are fewer opportunities to participate in grass-roots governance and social public services, which ultimately leads to deviations in villagers ’understanding of policies. Difficulties in implementation have also influenced the actual effect of grassroots multiple governance in rural areas.

3.2 Contradictions and conflicts of interest among the subjects and uneven distribution of benefitsIn the current process of multiple grassroots collaborative governance in rural areas, due to the ambiguous power and responsibility relationship and the uneven distribution of benefits, various contradictions and conflicts may occur among participating entities, including among the various subjects, between township governments and village committees, between township governments and villagers, between villagers and social organizations. Among them, the most prominent one is the problem existing between township governments, village committees and social organizations. The main reason for this phenomenon is that in the existing rural governance system in China, the township government still exists in a center-dominated and relatively strong position, and the development of village committees and social organizations are subject to constraints of the township governments.

In the first place, the functions undertaken by township governments are too comprehensive and specific, especially in the guidance and intervention of village-level affairs. Article 5 of theOrganicLawoftheVillagers’Committeestipulates that the people’s government of a township, a minority ethnic township or a town shall guide, support and help villagers’ committees in their work, but may not interfere with the affairs that lawfully fall within the scope of self-government by villagers. Villagers’ committees shall assist the work of the people’s governments of the townships, minority ethnic townships and towns. However, such words as "guidance", "support", "help", "intervention", and "assistance" all belong to uncertain behavior concepts, and there is a large space for explanation, which leaves room for the government to improperly "intervene" in village affairs. In actual practice, the township government has to conduct "transactions" with village committees in order to undertake various tasks assigned by superior authorities. Specifically speaking, the government provides the necessary conditions for the development of village committees. Thus, village committees are restricted by the township government and work for the government. The relationship between the guiding and being guided, assisting and being assisted between the township government and the village committee stipulated in theOrganicLawoftheVillagers’Committeeis often undertaken by the township government and village committee relying on their own understanding[6]. In the second place, the establishment and development of any social organization requires the support of funds, talents, and policies, and the real autonomous and effective operation of a social organization requires its own operating model, management method, and specific functions. The nature of social organizations determines their sense of social responsibility and mission in safeguarding social interests and promoting the progress of social members. However, due to the relatively weak foundation and relatively limited conditions for the development of rural social organizations, they have to obtain the full support and active input of government departments, which has led to the further prominence of government’s leading role in the rural grass-roots governance system, not conducive to the full communication and coordination of various interests, and bringing the possibility of causing social conflicts.

3.3 Various subjects shirking responsibilities and imperfect coordination mechanismIn the process of grassroots multiple subjects participating in the governance, the relationship between the various subjects is very complex, and they face huge challenges in cooperation. Due to the lack of a sound communication and coordination mechanism and a perfect interest exchange system, to a certain extent, when facing actual social problems, various subjects lack effective power-responsibility constraints, which leads to mutual shirking of responsibilities. The cooperative governance not only requires the joint participation of various governing subjects, but also needs to reach a good cooperative relationship to achieve the systematic integration and positive interaction of the multiple governance system. Laws and regulations such asRegulationonRegistrationandAdministrationofSocialOrganizations,OrganicLawoftheVillagers’Committee,RegulationsontheWorkoftheCPCRuralGrass-rootsOrganizationintheNewEra, stipulate the basic operating behaviors and cooperation methods of each participating subject, but there is no specific and detailed regulation on the power distribution and accountability relationship of each governing subject. The ambiguity of stipulations of the laws and regulations and the complexity of the actual issues give the participating subjects a "free play" space in specific work. Laws and regulations cannot effectively restrict and regulate the behavior of the subject. On the contrary, they are easily transformed into a tool for abuse of power and evasion of responsibilities by leading cadres at all levels. In addition to the imperfect rights supervision mechanism of the governing subject, it is even more important that each subject does not consider the consequences when exercising specific powers and they will shirk responsibilities.

4 Countermeasures and recommendations

4.1 Unblocking the communication channel and making clear the role positioningIn order to unblock the communication channel between the governance subjects and make rural residents fully express their opinions, it is recommended to accelerate the establishment of a comprehensive negotiation and communication channel and make clear the role positioning of each subject. It is recommended to take the government as the lead, grassroots party organizations as the core, and villagers’ committees responsible for organization and coordination, and social organizations providing a platform, and villagers actively participating with the awareness of being the master.

4.1.1Unblocking the public opinion expression channel. The process of public opinion expression is the process of villagers making claims and the input process of public policies. To unblock the expression channel, it is required to enrich the expression of villagers’ interests. In addition to reflecting the appeals to the village committees and relevant government departments through the existing mechanism, it is possible to apply direct communication methods such as online media and e-government, to improve the communication efficiency between villagers and other subjects. Besides, it is recommended to strengthen the villagers’ awareness of the rule of law, guide villagers to rationally express their demands, and submit legal requirements in a reasonable and legal form through legal procedures. Finally, it is recommended to create a good environment for external public opinion, so that villagers are willing to express and dare to express their opinions and suggestions, so as to win the trust of the villagers and achieve the goal of multiple governance and serving farmers.

4.1.2Enriching the policy propaganda forms. The grass-roots governance in rural areas is mainly based on related policies. The process of governance is the process of propaganda and implementation of higher-level policies and the process of policy output. (i) It is recommended to further enhance the transparency of open government affairs, strengthen publicity on new media such as television, newspapers, and the Internet, so that villagers can have the opportunity to learn about the latest policy measures. (ii) It is recommended to improve the comprehensive quality of grass-roots social service personnel, government workers and village cadres in all aspects, and improve their ability to understand and communicate policies. Through them, it is expected to enhance the villagers’ understanding of the policies, so that the active cooperation of local villagers in the implementation of the policies can better achieve the expected policy effect. (iii) It is recommended to broaden the feedback channels, fully adopt the opinions of all parties, especially the villagers’ comments of the policy implementation process and effects, ensure effective feedback, sum up experiences and lessons in a timely manner, and maintain continuous improvement.

4.1.3Unblocking the negotiation and communication mechanism. The smooth expression of the interests of multiple subjects is the key and prerequisite for achieving collaborative governance. Only through building a sound expression mechanism and supporting negotiation channels can we ensure that collaborative governance plays a practical role rather than just staying in the form. Consultation and exchange is the main way to deal with contradictions and conflicts between various subjects. Relevant government departments can regularly hold seminars involving multiple subjects to discuss problems encountered in grassroots governance, consult solutions, and jointly supervise the implementation of the scheme. It is recommended to provide communication platforms through grass-roots social organizations, such as non-profit social organizations, volunteer service organizations, elderly care organizations, private schools, endowment service organizations, and legal assistance, and other types of social organizations to achieve self-adjustment of contradictions and self-management of internal affairs, and provide services and platforms for villagers’ autonomy, and strengthen communication links between various subjects.

4.2 Coordinating interests of multiple subjects and promoting social equity

4.2.1Putting people first and enhancing villagers’ sense of gain. The township government should become the organizer and coordinator of multiple subjects coordinated governance. And it should take the public interest as the core and promote the benefits of all parties. It is required to ensure that the interests of villagers are always at the center of grassroots governance. The starting point and end point of township governments, village committees, grass-roots party organizations, and social organizations in fulfilling their functions are to make farmers’ have better life and have more sense of well-being and satisfaction. It is recommended to actively guide villagers to participate in the governance of social and public affairs, adopt a comprehensive interest coordination mechanism to stimulate the enthusiasm of villagers, give full play to the villagers’ awareness of being the master and responsibility, and make villagers willing to participate in social and public affairs, such as volunteering to make rural areas clean, repair and maintain public infrastructure, organize cultural and recreational activities,etc., so that the villagers themselves can better reflect the value of participation and enhance their sense of happiness and satisfaction.

4.2.2Increasing investment to develop and strengthen social organizations. The government should further increase capital investment and talent support for social organizations, so as to promote the development of rural grassroots social organizations, and make contribution to the development of rural economic, cultural, educational, pension, medical, and health services. Especially, it is necessary to vigorously develop non-profit social organizations in accordance with local conditions. If there are many empty-nest elderly people and left-behind children in the local rural areas, it is recommended to increase investment in elderly care services, education and cultural organizations, so that widows and loneliness can be properly cared for, and children can have a healthy and happy childhood, to realize access to childcare education and elderly care. When a social organization is recognized by the public, its value will become more prominent and it will continue to develop and grow.

4.2.3Changing functions to reduce governance pressure of township governments. With the increasing awareness of villagers’ participation, the expanding autonomy of village committees, and the maturing of social organizations, the pressure on all aspects of work at the township governments will be greatly reduced, thus creating a good condition for the government to further improve service efficiency and change work functions. Advancing reform to delegate power, streamline administration and optimize government services is the process of reducing burden of government. The township government must continue to innovate the governance system and improve governance capabilities. It must include the cultivation, guidance, and support of all participants in the grass-roots governance plan, so that the multiple cooperative subjects can develop in a healthy and orderly manner on the basis of their legal status, and ultimately realize the purpose of harmonious and efficient governance.

4.3 Detailing the responsibility system and improving the multiple consultation mechanism

4.3.1Improving laws and regulations and making clear the scope of functions and powers of subjects. At the present stage, in the process of multiple subject governance, there is no specific stipulation on the distribution of rights and division of responsibilities of each subject in specific laws and regulations, especially between township governments and village committees. To realize the effective management of the township government and the legitimate exercise of villagers’ autonomy, it is necessary to clearly define the functions and powers between the township government and the village committee. This will not only ease the contradiction between the township government and the village committee, but also will be favorable for the realization of villager autonomy. In the first place, it is recommended to improve related laws and regulations such asCentralPartyRegulationsOntheWorkofGrassrootsRuralOrganizations,andOrganicLawoftheVillagers’Committee. Apart from specifying in detail what should be done, how it should be done, and who should be responsible for specific matters, it is required also to explain what legal consequences it would have if it were not done. The township government and village committees should act in accordance with specific laws and regulations, social organizations, grass-roots party organizations, and villagers should participate in rural governance activities and social welfare services in accordance with laws and regulations. Besides, it is recommended to improve the legal awareness of villagers, guide them to respect the laws and regulations, abide by the laws and regulations, and use them, and strengthen and improve the legislation and regulations on the establishment, operation, and management of social organizations, so that social organizations can take the initiative to assume social responsibilities and integrate into the overall governance system.

4.3.2Establishing and improving a consultation mechanism to coordinate the interests of the subjects. It is necessary to strengthen the coordination mechanism between various subjects, make them fully communicate, and make scientific and efficient decisions. Besides, it is necessary to establish the interest expression mechanism of each subject, establish a complete and reasonable interest expression channel and a proper and gentle expression method. It is recommended to regularly hold villagers’ representative conference to formulate sound and detailed rules of procedure and scientific and standardized decision-making procedures. In addition, it is also recommended to strengthen the openness of decisions. For example, it is feasible to use WeChat platforms, village broadcast stations, or village affairs boards to disclose and announce the results. Also, it is feasible to use the Internet to build an open, transparent, and stable opinion communication platform, such as the establishment of government affairs websites, Weibo, and WeChat to enable social governance subjects to express their demands in a free and legal manner, and to negotiate with each other to meet the interests of all social members and maximize the interests of all subjects, work out the optimal plan, and jointly monitor the process of implementation of the plan to achieve comprehensive and multi-channel participation in governance.

4.3.3Establishing and improving a supervision mechanism to ensure the effective operation of rights. It is recommended to establish and improve the supervision mechanism, to realize no conflict when subjects exercise rights and no abuse of powers. Establishing and improving a sound rights supervision mechanism includes strengthening external and internal supervision. The most important thing for external supervision is to make the information transparent, easy to understand, accept the supervision, evaluation and feedback of the villagers, and the mutual supervision of various subjects. Internal supervision should strengthen self-management and self-regulation within the various subjects. For example, the village committees should give full play to the role of the village collective internal supervision force to fully stimulate villagers to participate in supervision. Township governments should strengthen the construction of grass-roots party organizations, improve rules and regulations, promote source governance, and consolidate the cornerstone of governance. Apart from jointly bringing into play the role of external and internal supervision, it is also necessary to carry out special rectification of corruption and bribery by village officials and township government officials in accordance with laws and regulations, and take strict control of selection, employment of personnel, to realize transparent operation of rights.