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The village-level organization is one of the most important governing subjects in China's rural areas. It plays an important role in the implementation of public policy and the management of regional public affairs. In order to eliminate the contradictions caused by the levy of agricultural tax, the government abolished agricultural tax in 2006, which has won praises from all circles of the society. However, it has changed the logical basis of village-level organization's behavior, showing a phenomenon of departure from the goals of village-level organization in practice. Based on the review of relevant literature, we made a questionnaire survey on Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hubei, Henan, Shanxi and Chongqing provinces, combined with case studies, summarized the five forms of functional alienation of the village-level organization in the post-agricultural tax era. Village officials often left their posts and went to work or live in the city. They embezzle collective assets and win village elections by the money. Evil forces rule the village-level organization and the relationship between village officials and peasants has centrifugal tendencies. Serious consequences follow. First of all, there is a serious lack of rural public service supplied and transformed stagnation of service-oriented organization. Secondly, the role of village-level democracy has declined and the interests of the peasants maintenance mechanism have fractured. Thirdly, the foundation of the village-level organization suffers more weakness, slackness and loss of credibility. Lastly, the legitimacy of the village-level organization is in question. Based on the theory of resource dependence, the reasons for the functional alienation of village-level organization in the post-agricultural tax era are the change of external environment such as financial resources and institutional system, the internal governance resources shortage problems, the administrative assessment under the pressure system and the increasing of a utilitarian culture. According to the strategic task of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party and the promotion to new rural construction, we give some advices to make the village-level organization return to its normal function: establishing the system of stable funds, enriching the governance resources of village-level organizations, promoting the public services, enforcing the responsibility of village officials, improving the "Sunshine Village Project," establishing and perfecting the supervision system of village affairs, improving the structure of village-level organizations, establishing the village official exit mechanism, cultivating the rural public culture and modern civic awareness. Using questionnaire surveys and case studies, we grasp the current performance of the village-level organization, observed the functional alienation in the post-agricultural tax era, and put forward some feasible countermeasures. A limitation is that we were unable to follow different levels of economic development to classify the functional alienations of the village-organization in different areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The factors which have an impact on the innovation of social science research methods can he divided into three categories: "subjective factors", "guarantee factors" and "motivation factors". Firstly, "subjective factors" are the most direct factors, which can be further divided into two types: the researcher's innovation ability and innovation motivation. Secondly, "guarantee factors" include material conditions, management system and mechanism, cultural atmosphere, and team building. These factors provide material support, policy support, cultural support and organization support respectively to the innovation of social science research methods. To look at it closely, material conditions are a prerequisite for scientific innovation, and research funds are the most important factor. Management systems and mechanisms relate to the allocation system of research funds, the way programs are evaluated, the way professional ranks are evaluated, the teachers' salary system, the system of achievement evaluation in scientific research, etc.. They are the fundamental factors impeding the innovation of social science research methods. The cultural atmosphere in research teams, universities and countries plays an important part in the innovation of social science research methods. Additionally, since cooperation has become more important today, team-building is another factor that plays a greater role in the innovation of social science research methods. Thirdly, government support, technology development and social needs provide developing motivation for the innovation of social science research methods. Specifically, government provides guidance and support in the aspect of policies. Moreover, the development of natural sciences also helps push forward the innovation of social science research methods, and the changing society also demands innovations of social science research methods. Each factor is both independent and interrelated. "Motivation factors" and "guarantee factors" both affect the innovation of social science research methods via "subjective factors". Therefore, "subjective factors" are an intermediate variable. Many methods can be used to promote the innovation of social science research method, which includes: increase investment, reform the management system and mechanism, support team-building, encourage innovation, provide platform of exchanges and so on. Finally, this research only provides a framework and a theoretical discussion of the factors which affects the innovation of social science research method. Further empirical research is needed to understand better how these factors interact with each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The system of fiscal transfer is essential for implementing the Scientific Outlook on Development, optimizing economic and social structure, promoting equalization of basic public services and balancing development between regions. Based on the relevant data of China's 31 provinces for the period of 1999--2009, this paper examines the factors affecting intergovernmental fiscal transfers in China through panel data model. The results of the panel data analysis reveal that the present pattern of allocation of fiscal transfers is not beneficial to equal access to basic public services. Though the central government pays some attention to the overall economic development level and budgetary revenue when allocating fiscal transfers, it has ignored the existence of a large number of extra-budgetary, off-budgetary revenue. In particular, the central government's concern about national unity has significant effects on provinces' shares of fiscal transfers, whereas provincial governments possess limited bargaining power in the allocation of fiscal transfers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The credit shortage of local government has become the biggest obstacle in the construction of a social credit system. In order to effectively punish the credit shortage of local government, it is necessary to investigate its formation mechanism. By applying the framework of credit shortage formation mechanism and the theory of dissipative structure, this paper analyzes the causes of credit shortage. The results of this analysis reveal that personal economic interests are the incentive of credit shortage formation and strong subject is its direct impetus. Public information asymmetry forms information gap, contributing to credit shortage. The lack of a credit culture leads to the deviation of administration value, and weak supervision leads to executive power abuse. When the total entropy of government reaches a certain threshold, the system will shift to a low-balance one, resulting in loss of trust in the government. Based on the study, this paper outlines a credit shortage discipline system from the perspective of management synergy, which involves opening information to the public, evaluating the degree of credit shortage, investigating accountability, remedying faults, encouraging credit adherence and reviewing complaint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Government credit is the core of the social credit system. In order to raise the level of government credit, it is necessary to investigate into its influencing factors. Based on data obtained from the Worldwide Governance Research Indicators Dataset of World Bank(2005 Case) and the National Bureau of Statistics of China, this paper makes an empirical study on the relationship between government credit and such relevant factors as formal institution, information, interest, and culture by using the methods of one-dimensional linear regression and multiple stepwise regression. The results of the regression analysis reveal that formal institution and information are statistically significant for government credit : as rule of law increases by 1M, government credit increases by 0. 534%; as transparency of information increases by 1%, government credit increases by0. 443 %; while interest and culture are not statistically significant for government credit. Based on the findings, several conclusions as well as specific recommendations are made in order to consummate the management mechanism of government credit, including promoting the construction of formal institutions, making improvements on the open system of government information, perfecting the interest incentive mechanism, and cultivating a credit culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hidden in the high administrative expenditures of China is a huge waste incited by overindulgence in official vehicles, energy resources, luxurious office buildings, and in such activities as government conferences, vanity projects, overseas trainings, recreational activities by public funds, etc. The cause of government waste is very complicated and it is the result of many factors including low executive transparency in administrative power, softening of budget constraint, vanity of property rights subjects and responsibilities subjects, existence of a large number of extra budgetary funds, indifference or even neglect on the assessment of administrative costs ,and lack of mechanisms for the public bargaining with the government. In response to these causes, six countermeasures have been proposed: quickening the construction of a transparent government; controlling administrative costs as government's working target to solve the problem of vanity of responsibilities subjects for government waste; enhancing budget constraint; introducing corporate cost accounting mechanisms and establishing a sound performance appraisal system; promoting the democratization of fiscal decision-making and forming a mechanism for the public to bargain with the government; establishing an "anti-waste law". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the liabilities behavior of local governments directly violate the "Budget Law" and "Guarantee Law" and other relevant laws and regulations, local governments at all levels tend to borrow through covert means. Local government debt shows characteristics of diverse forms, strong concealment, low transparency, complex causes, high rate of overstayers, vacancies of debt risk warning and control mechanisms, et. At the present, China's local governments have been burdened with very large debts which have a substantial and rapid rising trend, and the risk has been highlighted in the local areas. The potential risks are bigger and cause a serious impact on the local economic development and the normal functioning of the local governments, even threatening China's economic security and social stability. Effective countermeasures have to be taken to control and resolve the debt risk of the local governments, such as improving relevant laws and regulations, normalizing governments' borrowing behaviors, establishing local government debt management accountability mechanisms, controlling strictly the size of the local government debt and preventing new unreasonable debt, establishing debt risk warning and control mechanisms, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]