ABSTRACT
This chapter surveys the trend present within central-local relations since the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, and identifies some phases of development and their characteristics. It discusses the four processes underlining the trend: state building and national integration; development efficiency; career advancement; and external influences. The chapter also discusses some partially overlapping phases in the development of central-local relations in post-1949 China. The focus of discussion of central-local relations in the Chinese policy circle shifted correspondingly to the demarcation of responsibilities over service delivery between levels of the government. Deficits in the modern state-building project have therefore underlined much of the tension in central-local relations. The difficulty stems from an over-emphasis in many studies on central-local relations over the role of compliance, whilst overlooking the possibility of central-local co-agency. External experiences in managing the central-local relations were again consulted on a large scale, and this time attention turned to the Western market economies.
