Non-profit organizations, instead of the government, will
gradually take the lead in providing public services such as
education, medical care and scientific research.
Senior legislator Cheng
Siwei announced Tuesday the projected goals of restructuring
China's various public institutions, most of which have in the past
been sponsored by the government.
"We should change the current situation, where the government
dominates public service," said Cheng, vice chairman of the
Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, in an address
at an international forum organized by the National Development and
Reform Commission.
Together with China's extensive restructuring of state-owned
enterprises (SOEs) and the reshuffling of governmental agencies,
Cheng regards the new reforms as another hard nut for the
government to crack as the country moves toward a market-oriented
system.
The commission is responsible for a national research project in
regrouping China's 1.3 million shiye danwei (public
institutions), which employ more than 28 million people.
Before China embarked on the track of reform and opening in
1978, all institutions, like SOEs, were funded and run by the state
and were seen as a means to realize the state's will.
"The government has direct administrative control over the
institutions, but more and more disadvantages have arisen,
especially since 1978 with the implementation of reform policies
geared toward the market economy," said Cheng.
Most strikingly, the excessive dependence of public institutions
on state appropriations has become such a heavy burden that the
state treasury can hardly bear the costs any longer.
"In a market economy, the government's role is quite different
from that of a planned economy. It cannot bring all the public
institutions under its umbrella," said Fan Hengshan, the commission
official in charge of economic reform.
Last year, the Ministry of Personnel announced the end of the
"iron rice bowl" lifetime employment policy for the 28 million
public employees within the next three years.
This means the end of a system that has long been enjoyed by SOE
personnel. Instead, employment contracts will be introduced and
drawn up between state-owned institutions and their employees over
the next three years.
The overhaul will lead to a number of positions being deemed
redundant and rounds of layoffs.
"The task of restructuring is pressing but thorny, because 28
million employees is no small number," said Fan. "Experiences of
the sophisticated market economies should be studied."
Recently, the Ministry of Science
and Technology also released a public institutions reform plan
that is based on the framework of developed economies. Institutions
involved in basic research, compulsory education, environmental
protection and disaster control should still receive support from
the government.
Meanwhile, non-profit organizations, positioned between
governmental organizations and private businesses, should play an
important role in public service fields like culture, education,
health and social services.
These sectors can yield profits, but the profits should be
limited to reasonable levels and used for further development but
not distributed, the ministry said.
(China Daily March 24, 2004)