美国市县合并的五个突出特征及其对我国区划调整的启示

Five Distinctive Features of American City-County Consolidation and Lessons for China's Administrative Division Adjustment in Metropolitan Areas

市县合并是美国近两个世纪以来应对被区域主义者诟病的都市区碎片化的重要手段,其程序、目标、方案、后效、机制等等在较长的历史时期中得到了深入的观察探索。本文系统总结:美国市县合并的尝试较多但成功率低,合并程度、范围和政府结构模式多样,目标诉求多元且随时代背景变化,目标实现多数不如预期,公众意见起决定作用但法律影响合并难度与取向等五个突出特征。继而结合我国当前撤县设区等区划调整中遇到的矛盾,提出了四个方面的启示,包括关注多元目标、重视后效评估,倾听不同利益群体呼声,内容应重于形式,鼓励多种模式以及替代方案的探索,加强规范和制度建设等等。

City-County consolidation (CCC) is a common practice in the US metropolitan areas, which has been used to deal with the consequences of government fragmentation ever since 1815. Due to the frequent attempts of CCC in the US, rich theoretical and empirical literature has been developed, on CCC’s procedures, objectives, mechanisms and effects. This paper summarizes the five major characteristics of CCC in the US, including more attempts but low success rate, diversified consolidation ranges and modes, multiple goals that change with time, few goals achieved, public participation playing decisive roles etc. Four inspirations are discussed for administrative division adjustment in China’s fast growing urban areas.