Institutional and policy innovations for a new pattern of urban-rural integration in China: A historical analysis of national policies and practice

Institutional innovation is the key to form the new pattern of urban-rural integration in China. This paper describes the efforts and policies of Chinese government in the last three decades and analyzes the impacts of these policies on the urban and rural development. First, the Five-Year Plans since 1980s are analyzed to uncover how the national strategy of urban-rural integration has been promoted. Second, the institutional innovation and its practice by the central government since 2008 are reviewed. Third, the historical impact of different hierarchical administration systems on the urban-rural relationship is analyzed. Finally, the significance and mission of administration reform are discussed. The practice of the national strategy of urban-rural integration provides great impetus and opportunity for the innovation of administration reform to improve in those aspects such as administration efficiency and administration scale.