ABSTRACT
In China, pushing forward efforts to consolidate urban and rural development is highly significant for a variety of policy objectives. These objectives include developing a modernized agriculture, pushing forward a "new form of urbanization", reducing the disparity between urban and rural areas, and promoting a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way. This chapter looks at how to deepen reforms and push forward urban public services that cover all long-term urban residents. It reviews and sums up the reform of the household registration system to date, then analyzes its ongoing problems. The chapter recommends pushing forward total coverage of basic public services for all long-term urban residents in five specific areas: compulsory education, employment and job-creation services, health-care, social security, and housing guarantees. It also presents policy recommendations that aim at guaranteeing that people in the transitioning rural population have secure ownership of their own assets.
