政府购买服务的比较效率:基于公共性的理论框架与实证检验

Comparative Efficiency of Public Service Contracting from the Perspective of Publicness:Theoretical Framework and Empirical Examination

购买服务是我国当前公共服务供给侧改革的关键创新。政府由此必须经常在"制造还是购买"之间进行选择,其决策质量将深刻影响购买服务政策的效果。从经济学角度出发,购买服务的前提是政府在服务的生产和交易环节获取比较经济效率。论文从公共服务的公共属性出发,认为在权衡购买服务的比较经济效率时,必须纳入对服务公共性治理的制度效率。为检验扩展的比较效率分析框架,论文对我国22个省41个市县的756名公务员进行了问卷调研。研究发现,公共性治理效率会显著影响公务员对购买服务的态度,同时当前购买服务的整体效率还比较有限。研究认为,用公共性视角来补充和完善购买服务的市场化视角,能够深化和拓宽对政府效率、核心竞争力及其制度基础的理解,辅助政府在宏观和微观层面上的购买决策。

The current supply-side reform of public services in China highlights the regular use of service contracting.The quality of the governmental choice between"make or buy",consequently,determines the success of this policy innovation.According to economic theories,the precondition to adopt the"buy"option is its comparative efficiency in service production and delivery.This study,from the perspective of the publicness of public services,argues that the comparative efficiency framework of service contracting must integrate institutional efficiency in order to govern the publicness of public services.In order to examine such an expanded comparative efficiency framework,this study conducteda questionnaire survey of 756 civil servants in41 counties and municipalities of 22 provinces in China,and then interviewed 129 of those respondents.According to our findings,the government's efficiency in governing publicness significantly influences civil servants'attitudes toward service contracting.It was also found that the general efficiency of service contracting in China is still limited at this moment.The study argues that the publicness perspective can effectively complement the market perspective on service contracting.This study deepens and broadens our understanding of the government's efficiency and core competence as well as the institutional foundations of those attributes.