Special Edition on Public Administration Reform in China

Dear Reader,

We are delighted to present you this special edition of the International Journal of Civil Service Reform and Practice on China published by the Regional Hub of Civil Service in Astana (ACSH). This issue contains articles analysing public administration reforms in China.

Considering the scale and outreach of reform that takes place in China, a deeper understanding of the transformations in this country is important to any practitioner or scholar. With this in view and the cooperation agreement between the ACSH Steering Committee and the Chinese Academy of Governance, a founding participant of the ACSH, this special issue of the Journal was produced on public administration reform in China.

The special issue begins with an article by Wei Liqun, who presents the evolution of the administrative power structure, organisation and management systems in China concluding that the administrative reform in the country has accomplished significant achievements. Chen Baosheng, that follows considers that political structural reform in China, based on the political theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics, will guide the country to the next stage of its development. Next, Xue Gang, Bo Guili, Liu Xiaokang and Yin Yanhong discuss the application of performance evaluation results for China’s service-oriented government by looking closely at the present situation, issues, and propose solutions. Yi Lili’s analysis portrays the major administrative reforms in China should be the transformation of public service units in order to transform government functionality and build a service-oriented government. Last but not least, Ma Jiantang examines the benefits of using big data to modernize government in order to enhance economic growth prospects, social governance and public services delivery.

We hope that the content of this special edition will be of value to those interested in deeper understanding of the peculiarities of China’s public administration transformation and future development. We, once again, would like to thank those who have provided their invaluable advice and guidance in publishing this issue.

We would also like to use this opportunity to renew the invitation to our readers and potential authors to actively participate in the dialogue facilitated through the Regional Hub discussion platforms.

Yours sincerely,

Editorial Team