The starting time of the modernization process in Asia is different, and the degree of equalization of public services varies greatly among countries. After World War II, countries that achieved system reform and economic take-off ahead of schedule, such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore and other countries, used the experience of developed countries in Europe and America for reference to realize the equalization of public services, and kept the equalization of public services at a high level through effective institutional arrangements in public finance, basic education, public health, social security and public utilities. However, in most Asian countries, due to the governance concept, political system, social environment, economic base, population size and years of war and other factors, the government's public service ability is not strong, and the level of public service equalization is not high. Since 1980s, the movement of public management reform has swept the world. Among Asian countries, countries with a high degree of equalization of public services have seriously summed up the experience and lessons of realizing equalization of public services and continuously deepened the reform of public service system and public service model. Countries with a low degree of equalization of public services actively learn from the ideas and experiences of developed countries and explore ways and strategies to achieve equalization of public services that suit their own characteristics. In the process of exploring the equalization of public services, Asian countries are facing various problems and have accumulated their own experience.
Since the reform and opening up in China, efforts have been made to strengthen the government's public service capacity and realize the equalization of basic public services.
First, unremittingly promote the reform of the economic system, always adhere to the basic concept of liberating productive forces through reform, and always adhere to the basic path of promoting development through reform. Through the reform, the economy has maintained sustained and rapid growth, and the national fiscal revenue has continued to increase substantially, laying a solid financial foundation for enhancing the government's public service capacity and realizing the equalization of public services.
Second, implement Scientific Outlook on Development and firmly establish a correct outlook on political achievements. Scientific Outlook on Development, the first priority is development, the core is people-oriented, the basic requirement is comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable, and the fundamental method is overall consideration. Scientific development requires the government to take safeguarding the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people as the starting point and the end result of all work, so that development is for the people, development depends on the people, and development results are shared by the people. Scientific development requires coordinating urban and rural development, regional development, economic and social development, harmonious development between man and nature, domestic development and opening up, coordinating the relationship between the central and local governments, and coordinating individual interests and collective interests, local interests and overall interests, current interests and long-term interests. "People-oriented" and "overall consideration" provide a scientific theoretical basis for the equalization of public services.
Third, build a harmonious socialist society and accelerate social construction focusing on improving people's livelihood. The socialist harmonious society to be built in China should be a society of democracy and rule of law, fairness and justice, honesty and friendship, full of vitality, stability and order, and harmony between man and nature. Fairness and justice are the fairness of rights, opportunities, rules and distribution, which requires that both primary distribution and redistribution should handle the relationship between efficiency and fairness, and redistribution should pay more attention to fairness. Public services have the function of redistribution, and we should strive to make all the people learn to be educated, get paid for their work, get medical care for their illness, provide for their old age and live in a proper place through the equalization system design. The theory of socialist harmonious society outlines the grand blueprint of equalization of public services.
Fourth, deepen the reform of administrative management system and build a service-oriented government. According to the overall goal of deepening the reform of administrative management system, by 2020, Socialism with Chinese characteristics will establish a relatively perfect administrative management system. Through the reform, we will realize the fundamental transformation of government functions to create a good development environment, provide high-quality public services and safeguard social fairness and justice, realize the fundamental transformation of government institutions and staffing to be scientific, standardized and legalized, realize the fundamental transformation of administrative operation mechanism and government management mode to be standardized, orderly, open and transparent, convenient and efficient, and build a government that serves the people, is responsible, has a clean rule of law and is satisfied with the people. The transformation of government functions is the core of deepening the reform of administrative management system, which requires fully performing government functions, improving economic regulation and strict market supervision, and paying more attention to social management and public services; The central and local governments should highlight their respective management and service priorities in accordance with the requirements of functional transformation; Further rationalize the relationship between departmental responsibilities, rationally define the responsibilities of government departments, realize the equivalence of powers and responsibilities, and avoid overlapping functions. Deepening the reform of administrative management system and building a service-oriented government have laid the institutional foundation for realizing the equalization of basic public services.
Fifthly, the government of China has made a useful practical exploration in realizing the equalization of public services. To sum up, it is mainly manifested in the following aspects:
First, the policy of "improving the public finance system and gradually realizing the equalization of basic public services" was determined. The main measures are to reform the financial management system, improve the public financial system, increase the financial transfer payment, adjust the tax rebate and financial subsidy policies, and explore the financial system basis for gradually realizing the equalization of public services.
The second is to adhere to the public welfare nature of basic education and strive to achieve educational equity. The main measures are to increase financial investment in education, standardize education fees, support education in poverty-stricken areas and ethnic minority areas, improve the student financial aid system, and ensure that children of economically disadvantaged families and migrant workers receive compulsory education on an equal footing. In 2007, the tuition and fees of rural compulsory education will be abolished, and in the autumn of 2008, the tuition and fees of urban compulsory education will be abolished.
Third, adhere to the public welfare nature of public health and strive to build a public health service system. The main measures are to adhere to prevention, focus on rural areas, strengthen government responsibility and investment, improve national health policies, encourage social participation, and strive to build a public health service system, medical service system, medical security system and drug supply security system covering urban and rural residents, so as to provide safe, effective, convenient and cheap medical and health services for the masses.
The fourth is to speed up the establishment of a social security system covering urban and rural residents to ensure people's basic livelihood. The main approach is to speed up the improvement of the social security system based on social insurance, social assistance and social welfare, focusing on the basic pension, basic medical care and minimum living security system, supplemented by charity and commercial insurance. We will promote the reform of the basic old-age insurance system for enterprises, institutions and institutions, and explore the establishment of a rural old-age insurance system. We will comprehensively promote the basic medical insurance for urban workers, urban residents and new rural cooperative medical care.
Fifth, adhere to a proactive employment policy and improve the public employment service system. The main way is to improve the market employment mechanism, support self-employment and self-employment, and strengthen the government's responsibility and policy guidance for promoting employment. We will improve the vocational education and training system for all employees and strengthen the transfer and employment training for rural surplus labor. Establish a unified and standardized human resources market and form a system of equal employment for urban and rural workers. We will improve the employment assistance system for people with difficulties and help zero-employment families solve their employment difficulties in time. Actively do a good job in the employment of college graduates. Standardize and coordinate labor relations, improve and implement the national policy on migrant workers, and safeguard the rights and interests of workers according to law.
China is facing severe challenges in the field of public services, such as great demand pressure, insufficient supply of public services, unbalanced allocation of public resources, weak redistribution of public services, nonstandard public service standards and poor responsiveness of public service subjects. The process of equalization of public services in China has just started, the theoretical basis of equalization is still relatively weak, the ways and strategies of equalization are not clear enough, the equalization system is not perfect enough, and there is still a lack of systematic arrangements between systems. The problems and challenges faced by China are also shared by most Asian countries. By studying the equalization of basic public services in major Asian countries, it is of strategic significance to explore the basic theoretical issues of equalization of public services, summarize the experiences and lessons of developed countries, especially Asian countries, explore ways and strategies to achieve equalization of basic public services, and solve the common problems of equalization of public services.