一、 工作组I
Status and Problems about Training of Scientific Literacy of Chinese Governmental Officials
Background
The booming development of science and technology has gone beyond people’s imagination and predication and has penetrated into every aspect of social life widely and deeply.
In face of challenges from scientific and technological information and skills, countries across the globe uphold the same strategic agreement that it is necessary to improve citizens’ scientific literacy, if they want to enhance their comprehensive national power and have therefore put scientific literacy training on their agenda successively. A number of countries and territories have brought forward corresponding plans of action, for instance, the “2061 Plan” released by the American Association for the Promotion of Science in 1985, the “Science and Society” Plan executed from 2003 by EU, and the literature on Improving Scientific and Cultural Literacy issued by India in 1999.
Without exception, the State Council of China promulgated on March of 2006 the National Action Scheme of Scientific Literacy for All Chinese Citizens, listing governmental leaders and officials as one of the four important groups in urgent need of improving scientific literacy. Under such a background, I conducted the special project of Survey of Scientific Literacy of Chinese Bureau-level Governmental Officials & Research of Countermeasures. After analysis and study, I obtained basic data about the status of scientific literacy of Chinese bureau-level governmental officials.
Status and Problems
The text focuses on the introduction of current status and existing problems of scientific literacy of Chinese bureau-level governmental officials from the aspects of channels to obtain scientific and technological information, the degree of interest in scientific and technologic information, the expectation on different scientific and technological projects, the understanding of the concept of science, and international comparison. The said problems are:
1. The relationship between “urgent need” and “necessity” is wrongly understood;
During Chinese socialist construction, Chinese governmental officials always learn from practice and practise while learning. After the implementation of the opening-up policy, governmental officials are eager to learn, because of the appearance of kinds of problems along with swift development of Chinese economy. After a long period of time, it has become a tendency that the training for various levels of governmental officials always gives priority to subjects urgent to be solved during the development of politics, economy, and society and seldom consider coherence of knowledge.
2．Scientific literacy has not been regarded as one of major contents of training, and teaching hours have been far from enough;
China National School of Administration mainly focuses on training politics, law, economy and management. It started training for Chinese governmental officials from 2002. During the past five years, it arranged one or two runs every semester and only 2-4 teaching hours every time. The training of scientific literacy for Chinese governmental officials has been ignored all along.
3. The assessment & evaluation system for Chinese governmental officials lacks of corresponding indices of assessment and encouragement;
Since the implementation of the employment system and the annual assessment system from 1994, various levels of human resources departments have paid much attention to assessment results, but such assessment only touches upon politics, economy, law, and management and seldom reflects scientific literacy, unhelpful in encouraging governmental officials to actively learn modern knowledge to improve their scientific literacy and their decision-making and scientific management ability.
4. Scientific literacy disjoints with degree education;
China has no special schools for governmental officials to receive degree education. The governmental officials always graduate from higher education institutes. Even those majoring in science, engineering, agriculture and medicine have limited knowledge about modern scientific and technological knowledge, let alone those majoring in social science who seldom learn scientific and technological knowledge. In the country’s stipulated training for governmental officials, there is no official regulation for scientific literacy training. Although there is special theme about “modern science and technology”, it is skimble-scamble and nonstandard.
5. Theoretical research is so weak, and there are no sources of necessary expenses on research.
China has never given enough attention and support to the popularity of scientific knowledge and relevant theoretic researches. National Nature Science Fund, the Social Science Fund of The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), and research grants of the Department of Science and Technology and CASS have never been specially earmarked for theoretic research on the popularity of scientific knowledge among Chinese governmental officials. Fiscal appropriations have never been used as spending on the popularity of scientific knowledge among Chinese governmental officials, either. The scarcity of research fruits is just closely related to the lack of necessary outlay sources.
Countermeasures and Suggestions
Nowadays, science and technology is becoming international competitiveness. The cultivation of scientific literacy of Chinese governmental officials and the construction of an innovative country are playing an important role in bringing China into the global economy. As for aforesaid problems, I suggest the Chinese government improve from the following aspects.
1. Make fully use of media to promote the formation of social cognition that it is necessary to train scientific literacy of Chinese governmental officials;
Popularity of Scientific Knowledge - is to ask relevant governmental organs to take the lead in organizing various kinds of promotion, such as holding a special lecture on modern science and technology, to popularize science and technology among Chinese governmental officials, by capitalizing on mass media, like video & audio, broadcasting, and magazine. In particular, it is necessary to promote discussions about the popularity of scientific knowledge among Chinese governmental officials by using the typical example that leaders of the State Council insist on listening to such a lecture.
2. Add scientific literacy into the training for central- and provincial-level governmental officials and arrange appropriate teaching hours;
Provincial-level schools of administration required China National School of Administration to take the lead in formulating an outline for training of modern science and technology for Chinese governmental officials to determine the contents and time for training and encourage nationwide schools of administration to pick up scientific literacy training for Chinese governmental officials in a recent training class on teaching qualification for all nationwide schools of administration.
3. Gradually perfect qualify curriculums and special teaching materials and continuously improve the quality of scientific literacy training;
China National School of Administration shall select and classify teaching resources, including kinescope, record, and teaching materials, and publish books and CD disks to be used as special teaching materials for scientific literacy education to enable essential resources to be fully used and shared.
4. Treat scientific literacy as assessment index for promotion of various levels of governmental officials;
In November of 2006, China has listed scientific literacy-related contents into the general outline for examination for employment of governmental officials, but has not listed this into promotion, annual assessment, and examination of training. Therefore, relevant governmental organs shall listed scientific literacy into assessment of wider range and higher level.
5. Actively support theoretical research on scientific literacy training for various levels of governmental officials and build a professional research team gradually.
The Ministry of Finance shall increase special spending on popularization of science among Chinese governmental officials and execute a special management & use system on part of spending to be used to hold scientific popularity activities and fund theoretic research on scientific popularity among Chinese governmental officials. Moreover, the ministry shall gradually establish a special management and use system for scientific popularity among various levels of governmental officials.
二、 工作组II
The Features of China’s Government Regulation in Transitory Period
--Take Health Care Industry as Example
In 2005, the most shocking news in health care industry is an announcement made by State Center of Development and Research. After careful investigation of the reform carried out in the industry during the past decades, the center drew such a conclusion that the reform is a failure. This conclusion is also a comment on China’s other government regulation industries. So this paper takes health care industry as an example, analyzes the systematic drawbacks in China’s contemporary government regulation.
Firstly, this paper explores the fundamental elements that a sound government regulation consists of. Government, enterprises and consumers should be independent and at the same time correlated, especially enterprises and consumers should have bargaining power against government. Regulation law is also necessary as it is the principle of governmental conduct.
Secondly, this paper analyzes the features of China’s government regulation in three aspects. In the aspect of regulation parties, some power interest group is forming or already formed, they can manipulate the regulation and make extra money; frequently government does not obey the law and abuse its power; and as a group, consumers are still very weak in struggling for their rights against the government and enterprises closely linked to the government.
In the aspect of regulation law, regulation institutions and the coalition of the related government organizations and enterprises monopolize the power to set the law, so the law can only represent the benefit of some interest groups. Furthermore, the law is not open enough to the public.
In the aspect of regulation implementation, local governments are responsible for the implementation of regulation law, due to short of knowledge and their own benefits, the effect of execution is not satisfactory. In addition, regulation organizations have very big power as the law is not so detailed.
Finally, this paper analyzes the measures to improve government regulation. Some good suggestions are provided.
三、 工作组III
The main Innovating Institutions in
"Civil Service Law of the People's Republic of China"
In order to perfect the system of civil service further, National People's Congress has promulgated " State Civil Service Law of the People's Republic of China " in 2005.which has been applied from January 1,2006. It should be the first Chinese law of personnel made by National People's Congress, with great meanings in China's modernization drive. This text probes into the innovating institutions in " State Civil Service Law of the People's Republic of China "
First, dividing the civil servants into four categories is to innovate the classification management system of the civil servant of China.
It is the turn point to start classification management of civil servant for China that dividing the category of position. According to the position nature and characteristic, the law-maker divide the organ position into four categories, the general schedule, which jurisdiction is related to policy making; the professional and technical experts schedule, which jurisdiction focus on technical responsibility; the administrative law enforcement schedule, which jurisdiction is related to law-enforcement in the administrative organs; the judge, public procurator, policemen schedule, which have their own legal jurisdiction.
Second, To innovate the rotation mechanism of the civil servant by establishing the system of civil servants on contracts and the system of term-limited of office .
The recruitment of the civil servants is not completely by examination, and the resignation and the discharge of the civil servants are not smooth, this is the main problem of rotation system for the Chinese civil service.
The experience tell us that recruitment by examination is the best way to get rid of the patronage system and keep the openness of public position. According to the law, the applicant can only enter the entry post by examination, It is the original intention that adding more flexibility of employment mechanism to create the system of civil servants on contracts .The value of designing the institution of term—limited of office is to develop the socialism democracy . Once the institution of term-limited of office has been established, it will be not only applied to the high officials at the administrative organs , but also will be applied to all the high officials above the specific levels at all the state organs from the central level down to the provincial, city, county and township levels. This is the first principle of designing the institution of term-limited of office. The term-limited of office should be rational. Every term should be 5 years, and can not be beyond two terms.
Third, in order to innovate civil servant's incentive mechanism, the lawmaker establish two ladders of civil servant profession development--- "post promotion "and " grade promotion "
In fact, the opportunity of promotion of post is limited, so many civil servants lose motivation in their profession development. Besides the ladder of post promotion, another ladder---the grade promotion should be supplied for the civil servants.
The grade carries on the unified scale of balancing and comparing the different post series; The grade is the important step of the civil servant's profession development, besides promotion of post, the grade promotion will be the civil servant’s another profession development channel. The grade is the decisive factor of the servant's salary and other treatment with the same importance as post.
四、 工作组IV
Fight for Equality in Transforming China
——community development in urbanization
Though efficiency is the chief target in China’s process of reform and openness, social justice is also an important goal the government pay more and more attention to nowadays, the fight for equality is going together with urbanization and transformation.
I. Contradiction embedded in equality based on differentiation
1 structure of citizenship: urban and rural dimensions
Though citizenship in China is universally equal according to the Constitution, the hukou, an institution links citizen tightly to his or her permanent residence and decides the welfare he or she could enjoy, has made urban and rural citizens enjoy different rights and duties actually, which exclude most rural citizens out of the process of public policy-making.
2 public policy-making is just like a close circle operated by the government solely with mobilizing citizens’ participation when it is politically needed.
3 citizen’s participation goes with his or her unit (danwei), which makes him or her indifferent to local and communal affairs.
II. Urbanization and the necessity of citizens’ participation
1 the rapid development of urbanization is the inevitable product of market-oriented reform and openness, all kinds of unpredicted variables is increasing in public policy-making.
2 people are getting richer, and they are moving from rural areas to big cities or turning their living place into town, and their demands and concerns about easy and comfortable living circumstances are intensifying.
3 strategy choice: government-oriented community development with the programming led by government and the self-governance of community citizens.
III. The meaning of equality in transforming China
1 equal citizenship: remove the man-made borderline dividing the urban and rural citizens, hukou is now turning to be universal ID banishing the difference between urban and rural.
2 equal participation according to residence. Denizen is prevailing over citizen on local and community levels, which means strong inclusion. Examples can be found in Beijing, Shanghai and Hubei province.
IV. Steps to make efforts for equality in community development
1 residence becomes the basis of participation in community affairs. In Beijing and Shanghai, inhabitant living in a community more than 1year without hukou of the same place is welcome to join the public affairs with the same rights and duties of those have hukou, which means all denizen of the same community not only have equal rights and responsibilities, but also enjoy the same public goods and services.
2 public policies on community development are decided by all the denizens and the total process is transparent, an institutional framework conducive to sound, effective and responsive public policies concerning to communal interests is forming because the inclusion of community members without discrimination. Denizens attitude towards communal policies is active and constructive.
3 Citizens actively participate in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of public policies and programmes concerning their communities, which make them responsible for the development of community. At the same time, the spirit of mutual-help is shaping, which means as members of the same community, they cooperate and help those at need on the basis of respecting their differences.
Community development is one aspect of urbanization in China, and the practices undergoing now reflect a process of pursuing and fighting for equality between urban and rural citizens.
五、 工作组V
On the historical roots of the Chinese traditional “official standard”
idea
“Official standard” means that securing an official status is taken as the life goal and the highest values pursuit, and the official rank becomes the standard to measure a person’s social position and life value. It results in the worship of power and official position, and furthermore, leads to prevailing ideas of power supremacy.
“Official standard” is a worldwide issue. However, in traditional China, either in upper or lower class society, it is more strong than that in western countries. Thus, it is necessary to ponder over this issue through the historical roots of ancient Chinese.
I. Ancient China slavery nations come from clan system, and the leaders of clan directly become slaveholders. This kind of transition easily and innately bring about the thoughts of “official standard” .
1.The development of productive forces of clan society causes the gap between the poor and the rich.
2.Wars among clans outstand the power of leaders and gradually form the worship of power and authority.
3.Patriarch system make social estate relationship more steady.
II. Autocratic monarchy and bureaucratic system ensure the hierarchy and special privilege mentality, causing the social inclination to occupying and controlling social sources by official power.
1. Autocratic monarchy: related closely to autocratic monarchy and dictatorship,“official standard” expresses itself by unbridled expanding and willfully operating of public power.
2.Bureaucratic system：either the ranking nobility system before Han Danasty and the Nine Rank system in the WeiJin period, or the more strict bureaucratic system after Tang Danasty,the common point is that gaps between different official ranks are distinguished and officials enjoy different privileges according to their ranks.
3.the monopolizing and controlling over political, economic and cultural resources by government and officials: the administrative power extending to every aspects of social life, and local officials control all the local power of administration, legislation and judicature.
III. Chinese traditional culture which mostly worships etiquette and rite provides the theoretical basis for “official standard”, and promoting it to be an widespread social ideas.
1.As the core of Chinese traditional culture, Confucianism preserves the social estate system substantially.
2.The biggest and far-reaching influence of imperial examination system is that it guides the social values, especially the values of intellectual stratum, to seeking for high official titles.
3.Official stratum occupies the highest above others, and it is generally accepted that officials are noble while common people are base.
六、 工作组VI
Ｅ－Government and Public Finance
Abstract： The author analyses the problems of E-government applying in Public finance and causing innovation of public finance management system . Government creates public finance sector portal, establishes adaptive process system, and realizes mutual service of government and enterprises and citizens. E-government applying in public finance, influences Public Finance from financial expenditure and financial revenue.
E-government applying in public finance, will change method of levying financial revenue, simply tax and other financial revenue management process which is more transparent. It provides for enterprises and citizens more conveniently, reduces cost of levy and management Public Finance financial revenue.
E-government applying in public finance, renews traditional method of financial expenditure management, brings about government zero-distance service and management for enterprises and citizens, and improves efficiency of public finance expenditure management.
E-government applying in Public finance, which changes public finance operation pattern and management process, helps to perfect public finance system, and to ameliorate financial budget institution and tax institution and financial expenditure management institution.
Keywords: E-government, public finance management
