중국 통링시 촌민자치가 공공서비스에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구

Village Self-Government and Public Services in Tongling City of China: Mediation Analysis of the Public Leadership

(Purpose) There has been a movement to improve governance systems that include accountability, democratic negotiation, social cooperation, and active participation since the Villagers Autonomy Act of 1982 and the Villagers Committee Organization Act of 1988 were enacted. Because of many social changes, citizen’s perception on public service operations in China has changed. Thus, this study analyzed the relationship between village self-government operations and citizen’s perception(awareness of the importance and satisfaction) of public service in Tongling City, China. In addition, according to the previous studies, based on the roles of village leaders, citizens’ perceptions of public services are different—if a committee shows more strong public leadership, citizens tend to have more value on public services. Based on these results, this study further examined the mediating effect of public leadership(procedural and cooperative leadership) of village self-government. (Design/methodology/approach) A questionnaire survey was conducted targeting villagers in rural areas via online. This study employed mediation effect analysis and three-step multiple regression analysis. (Findings) This study found a statistically significant relationship between village self-government and public leadership, as well as a statistically significant relationship between village self-government and perceived importance and satisfaction of public services. Moreover, the study identified a positive mediating relationship between village self-government and public services. (Research implications or Originality) Based on the findings, public leadership is necessary to improve awareness of the importance and satisfaction of public services in rural areas of China. Thus, this study suggests that village government networks from the committees’ leaders are promising for the sustainable development of public services in rural villages.