Government departments should shift their functions from direct
management to regulation and supervision, says an editorial in
Southern Metropolis Daily. The following is an
excerpt:
In the report delivered to the 17th National Congress of the
Communist Party of China, General Secretary Hu Jintao pointed out
that "we will step up our efforts to streamline government organs,
explore ways to establish greater departments with integrated
functions, and improve the mechanism of coordination and
collaboration between government departments". It is reported that
the central government is now drafting an overall plan to reform
the institutional system.
The conception of "greater departments" is regarded as the
breakthrough point for the next round of government reform.
The government has already conducted several rounds of reforms
to streamline the organizations and the number has reduced by and
large. Compared with other countries, however, China still has a
large number of government departments.
The reason is not complicated: The current government structure
was originally set in the age of planned economy when the
government directly managed large numbers of enterprises and
institutions as well as social issues. To execute its enormous
functions, the government had to expand its organizations both
vertically and horizontally.
It had to establish administrative departments for all
industries. There used to be more than 50 ministerial level
departments in the central government. This shows that the
extensive and enormous functions are the reason for an inflated
government.
The system of "greater departments" is good. Under this system
the government's functions will be limited. All departments would
only supervise and regulate instead of direct management in the
fields they administer.
(China Daily December 4, 2007)