Abstract:

The construction of effective rural governance rules is a key theoretical and practical task. However, the existing literature has yet to fully explore the hierarchical structure and design methods involved. In a multi-layered nested institutional rule system, the collective-choice mechanism links nested rule systems to improve rural governance performance. The design of a collective-choice mechanism requires three key elements: the interest compatibility arrangement, the democratic deliberation procedure, and the multi-actor monitoring system. A comparative case analysis of two villages in Jiangxi Province highlights the key role of the collective-choice mechanism in rural governance and explores the specific ways to construct a collective-choice mechanism. This institutional analysis of a collective-choice mechanism contributes new insights into the modernization of the rural governance system under the joint governance of the state and society, and also enriches public governance theories with Chinese wisdom.

Key words: collective-choice mechanism, public governance, rural revitalization, rural governance, institutional analysis, case study