Scholars in the School of Public Administration: reform on household registration system is in the mode of “taking pressure as the driving force with a top-down approach”

News Network (Reporter Li Dongfang) The fourth monthly consultative forum of provincial CPPCC this year was held in the organs of provincial CPPCC on the morning of June 21st, where the questions about “deepening the reform of household registration system and promoting equal access to basic public services” were discussed. Zhang Changer, chairman of provincial CPPCC, presided the meeting and delivered a speech. Zeng Xin, vice governor of provincial government attended the forum, listened to the suggestions and also made a speech. Associate Professor Xiang Huali and Associate Professor Shi Zhilei, scholars in the    School   of Public Administration   , attended the meeting upon invitation. Shi Zhilei was the keynote speaker at the meeting.

Followed a short telefilm named Breaking the Barriers of Urban-Rural Integration, eight CPPCC members, municipal and county CPPCC delegates, experts and scholars made speeches on equal access to basic public service, a points-based hukou (household registration) system, the residence permit system and so on. Associate Professor Shi Zhilei, the only representative of experts and scholars of universities among the eight spokesmen, gave a speech aboutBasic Public Service of Agricultural Transferring Population in    Hubei  Province   : Status Quo, Problems and Suggestions.

Associate Professor Shi Zhilei has been dedicated to the research on the reform of household registration system and population urbanization in recent years and has deeply realized that    Hubei    province is in the critical period of the reform of household registration system and economic growth at present. Shi Zhilei pointed out in his address that    China   ’s demographic dividend was gradually diminishing, which was probably a new opportunity for    Hubei    province, a region in central    China   . A new round of industry transfer has been spreading in earnest at home and abroad after the financial crisis in 2009.The industrial resources have accumulated in the eastern    China    over the past 30 years and the window period of industry transfer are both finite. Located at the center of the crossroad of regional competition,    Hubei    province faces competition not only from Chengdu-Chongqing economic belt in the west along the    Yangtze  River    but also from other provinces in the south and north central area.    Hubei    is at the “Golden Crossroad” in terms of spatial competition and development opportunities. Eastern industries and labor force will have no opportunities to locate in    Wuhan    if they are transferred to the west, but the opposite is also true. Only through grabbing the opportunities and stepping up efforts to offer the basic public service, can the reform of household registration system absorb the labor force to locate in    Hubei    province. Any central and western provinces, once grabbing the opportunity of industry transfer by virtue of adjusting its own system and resources, will become the new growth point of China’s future economy. Grabbing the opportunities for the new round of labor transfer,    Hubei    province can get demographic and system dividend in the next two decades and usher in another golden two decades.

Associate Professor Shi Zhilei suggested in the report that household registration system should adopt the mode of “taking pressure as the driving force with a top-down approach”, step up efforts to offer the basic public service to the agricultural transferring population and break the current interests patterns. We should not allow the urbanization cost to be paid only by the government, but to construct the social protection system for the agricultural transferring population from three aspects: government, enterprises and families. Enterprises should strengthen the social responsibility and build steady employment relationship. We should improve the developmental family policy and reconstruct family function of agricultural transferring population to provide the families responsible for nurturance and caring for the aged with social support or economic assistance.

Zhang Changer, chairman of provincial CPPCC fully affirmed that the School of Public Administration of ZUEL offered experts to monthly forum during his summing up, shared Shi Zhilei’s views that Hubei province could obtain demographic and system dividend and also reserved special praise for Associate Professor Shi Zhilei’ twice returning to Hubei for active participation in the research and monthly consultative forum during his advanced study in Hong Kong.

Vice governor Zeng xin claimed in his statement that he quite agreed with Shi Zhilei that “household registration system of Hubei province should adopt the mode of ‘taking pressure as the driving force with a top-down approach ’ ”; we should conduct serious studies，absorb and negotiate opinions, strengthen the vision, enhance awareness, strengthen research，address difficulties, implement responsibility and push for the progress. 

  In addition, Proposals on Further Improving the Public Employment Service for Agricultural Transferring Labor Force on the Background of Household Registration System by Associate Professor Xiang Huali and Associate Professor Guo Shengqian of the School of Public Administration in ZUEL and Urbanization Cost and Sharing Mechanism of Agricultural Transferring Population in Hubei Province by Associate Professor Shi Zhilei and Associate Professor Li Yunxin were both selected as written speeches, which were nine altogether.