Government refined management

Author: Wen Decheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Based on China's national conditions and the methodology of refined management, this book summarizes the three most prominent and common issues faced by governments at all levels across the country: administrative costs, execution, and coordination. These are urgent problems that need to be addressed. Therefore, the main focus of refined government management should be placed on solving these three issues. Additionally, the books eight methods of refined management and how to apply these methods to resolve these three problems. On December 9, 2006, Ma Kai, Director of the National Development and Reform Commission, stated that the country's gross domestic product (GDP) was expected to exceed 2 trillion yuan, marking a historic breakthrough and demonstrating the remarkable achievements of China's economy since the reform and opening-up over the past two decades. However, we also see from some data that there are many shortcomings and significant room for improvement: China consumes 4.3 times as much energy per dollar of GDP as the United States, 7.7 times as much as Germany and France, and 11.5 times as much as Japan. In terms of water consumption, China's water usage per 10,000 yuan of GDP is nearly 10 times that of the United States and 24 times that of Japan—this is a set of alarming statistics cited in the editorial "Is Conservation No Longer Necessary?" published on April 28, 2004, by the People's Daily.
Further data shows that energy consumption and environmental pollution have been severe during the process of economic development. As of 2005, 3.56 million square kilometers of land in China had soil erosion, 1.74 million square kilometers had desertified, over 90% of natural grasslands had degraded, one-fifth of cities suffered from severe air pollution, one-third of the country was affected by acid rain, and the average forest area per capita was only one-fifth of the global average. Over 70% of grasslands were severely degraded, and 70% of rivers were heavily polluted. Environmental damage has also had serious negative impacts on economic development. Statistics show that ecological disasters have caused losses accounting for 5% to 13% of GDP in recent years, and many regions have returned to poverty due to continuous disasters. The use of chemical fertilizers is twice the safe limit in developed countries, with an utilization rate of only 40%. Land resources have been rapidly shrinking, with 100 million mu of arable land lost in the seven years before 2003, accounting for more than 5% of the total arable land. Environmental problems that emerged in stages over a century of industrialization in developed countries have now concentrated in China. It is clear that economic development alone is no longer the sole standard for evaluating social progress, nor is policy or regulation the only measure of a government's performance.
In addition to the environmental issues mentioned above, China's economic development also faces a series of prominent contradictions and problems, such as uncoordinated economic growth, weak sustainability, widening urban-rural gaps, increased employment pressure, expanding regional disparities, and social development lagging behind economic growth. In early October 2003, General Secretary Hu Jintao first proposed the concept of "scientific development" during a visit to Hunan. Later, at the Third Plenary Session of the 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on October 14, General Secretary Hu Jintao's important speech titled "The Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Several Issues Concerning the Improvement of the Socialist Market Economy" explicitly emphasized the need to establish a "people-centered, comprehensive, coordinated, and sustainable development perspective to promote the all-round development of the economy, society, and people." Premier Wen Jiabao also pointed out at the National Environmental Protection Conference on April 17, 2006, that some regions had already experienced phenomena such as "rivers drying up, water becoming polluted, land degradation, and deserts encroaching." If environmental protection is not given more attention, the costs of future remediation will be higher, the sacrifices greater, and environmental recovery more difficult. We may then make irreparable historical mistakes. We must avoid the foolishness of "eating our ancestors' food while cutting off our descendants' paths."
General Secretary Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have clearly pointed out the direction of government work: shifting from rapid and high-quality growth to high-quality and rapid growth. This series of transformations indicates that the new central leadership led by General Secretary Hu has elevated the concept of development to a new level. Under this guidance, policies and implementation focus on reducing consumption and improving efficiency. The development of Chinese society must follow a scientific and healthy path, and government management must adopt a refined approach.
"Even with a humble position, one dare not forget the nation's concerns," as the saying goes. As a researcher deeply involved in economics and sociology, and a long-time advocate of refined management, I am very eager to contribute even a small part to societal progress. Since 1993, I have worked with Yu Mingyang and Kong Fanren on consulting projects, conducting national surveys in over 20 industries and participating in planning projects for nearly 50 companies. During this time, I have accessed a wealth of first-hand data and, with colleagues, friends, and peers, developed a series of basic operational methods. After the central government proposed the concept of scientific development, I devoted myself entirely to researching refined management. In this process, I received support and assistance from friends such as Mr. Wang Zhongqiu. Through continuous summarization and refinement of refined management methods and applications, I published the book "Refined Management II—Execution Upgrade Plan" in May 2005. To my surprise, this book was reprinted five times within a year. Leaders from major state-owned enterprises in the petrochemical, securities, and banking sectors found the book applicable and actionable, suitable for their corporate needs, and requested me to provide training for them. After the training, the Northwest Petroleum Administration established a refined management office within a week and again invited me to train their subordinate units.
From private enterprises to state-owned enterprises, and then to government departments, my continuous engagement and research have further convinced me that introducing refined management into government organizations is both urgent and necessary. This is also the primary reason that motivated me to write this book. I firmly believe that under China's current specific context, implementing refined management will be more effective and suitable for most enterprises and various public organizations.
It is encouraging that we already have many precedents in promoting refined management. In the corporate sector, well-known companies like Haier, Vanke, and Dongfang Hope have succeeded. In government departments, local governments such as Shenzhen and Qingdao, as well as systems like petroleum and taxation, have also achieved success. It is precisely these pioneers' practices in promoting refined management that have convinced me that its implementation in China is an inevitable trend. We see that China's social and economic development has taken a scientific and healthy path.
Based on China's national conditions and the methodology of refined management, this book summarizes the three most prominent and common issues faced by governments at all levels across the country: administrative costs, execution, and coordination. These are urgent problems that need to be addressed. Therefore, the main focus of refined government management should be placed on solving these three issues. Additionally, the books eight methods of refined management and how to apply these methods to resolve these three problems. Due to the rushed completion of this book, there are undoubtedly many shortcomings and errors, and the content also needs further refinement and depth. I welcome readers to provide valuable feedback.
Sincerely, I thank Xinhua Publishing House and Beijing Doctoral Cultural Development Co., Ltd.! I also thank all government workers who provided assistance in the writing of this book!