论我国乡镇的建制规模、职能定位与机构设置

On the Scale of Township Organizational System,Its Function and Structural Establishment

“乡镇”作为国家依法设置的一种地方行政建制,已成为当今世界许多国家管理农村行政事务和为农民提供公共产品服务的通行做法。但在中国,自秦朝至清末的两千多年,“皇权止于县政”,乡里制度集中地反映了宗法性与行政性的高度整合。历史上许多朝代的乡镇建制规模、组织原则、层级划分、职能定位、机构设置等等远不像县政权那样整齐划一,表现为地域性、宗法性、自治性、间断性、跳跃性等等特征。进入20世纪的100年,“乡镇”虽然成为我国县以下的地方行政建制,但是一直存在着政党政治与政府政治互相交叉,国家政权与农民自治互相渗透,乡镇行政体制与财政体制互相脱节的严重问题。因此,我们应站在政府体制创新与经济市场化进程相适应的高度去认识和把握乡镇改革的基本方向,紧紧围绕构建社会主义和谐社会的发展目标,坚持“以人为本”的价值取向,科学地、审慎地对待“撤并乡镇”的问题,决不能再搞“一刀切”。

The township, a local administrative organizational system established by the state in accordance with the law, has become common in many countries as a basic division that manages rurual administrative affairs and provides public products and services for farmers. But in China, in the more than 2000 years from the Qin Dynasty down to the end of the Qing Dynasty,“ royal power reached down to the county level”, and the township system reflected a high unity of a patriarchal clan system and administration. In many dynasties in history, the scale of the township organizational system, its organizational principles, hierarchical divisions, definition of functions and structural establishement were far from being clear-cut as was in the county government, characterized by being regional, patriarchal, autonomous, discontinuous and leaping. In the 100 years of the 20th century, although the township became the local administritive organizational system under the county government, it was always the case that political party politics and government politics overlapped, state power and farmer autonomy immersed, and the township＇s administrative system was out of line with the financial system. Therefore, changes in the township system should be implemented in line with the reform of the government system, with the progress of market economy, with the objective of building a socialist harmonous society, and with the value orientation of “people most”. The problem of township abolition and merging must be aprroached scientifically and prudently. Uniformity must not be imposed.