Rediscovering Intergovernmental Relations at the Local Level: The Devolution to Township Governments in Zhejiang Province*

Previous research about decentralization reform in China has primarily focused on the vertical relations between the central government and provincial governments; however, the decentralization reform within one province has not been sufficiently studied. Although the province-leading-city reform has been discussed, there is still limited research about the decentralization reform for townships. This article investigates intergovernmental relations at the local level by examining the emerging reform for townships in Zhejiang province. It explores the detailed process of the devolution of administrative power from county-level governments to township governments in Zhejiang province, which has been acknowledged as a model across China. In the top-down administrative system of China, township governments were in the dilemma of overloaded responsibilities and limited administrative power. The decentralization reform for townships supplies a different local perspective from the traditional top-down approach and implies the possible responses to township citizens’ needs. The devolution of administrative power to township governments brings townships social improvement and economic development. Some challenges for the further devolution reform at the local government are also discussed.