Local Governance as an Instrument in China: Case of Purchasing Services for the Aged in Homes by the Government

Since the theory of governance was introduced to China, it has been endowed with great expectation by many Chinese scholars. But on the other hand, there is a dispute about the applicability of governance in China. Key reasons of this controversy are as follows, firstly, the concept is unshaped, and secondly, contexts of China and western world are quite different. This paper will interpret governance and local governance as a process and tendency of the integration of relationship between state and society for solving public problems, thus we can achieve a basic criterion for further discussion. The course of purchasing services for the aged in home by the government in Haishu district of Ningbo city implies that administrative innovations are necessary in functional change of local government, and local governance as an instrument is effective. From a practical viewpoint, the applicability and good outcome of governance in China at local level have already existed. Nevertheless, there is no established mechanism of local governance in China. The key factor in the development of local governance is government. The functional change of local government will create great opportunities to local governance, and local governance as an instrument could prepare conditions in society for the new local governing mechanism. Hence, local governance should be regarded as an approach to local governments' administrative innovation in contemporary China, and then we may achieve a new mechanism inch by inch.