Abstract:

Vertical management is an institutional arrangement for multi-level government governance and is an essential part of the construction of China's government responsibility system. It adjusts the relationship between the central and local governments while optimizing government operations. In recent years, vertical management has become a keyword in Chinese public management. As a reflection of the nation's unique institutional advantages, vertical management combines the centralized and unified leadership of China’s central government with the creative practices of its local governments. As a result, the initiatives of the central and local governments have both improved. By adopting the “actors resources” perspective, this study analyzed the situational differences in the “two initiatives” using the “governance resource—governance cost” framework to provide inspiration and ideas for improving the effectiveness of vertical management.

Key words: vertical management, central-local relations, both central and local initiatives