Understanding Government Purchasing Public Services in China: Case Study of Guangdong and Yunnan

Abstract

The collaboration between public sector and social organizations has already become a major trend in terms of public service delivering in China. This article aims to provide a systematic framework for better understanding the regional variations of local government purchasing public services from social organizations. Drawing upon comparative case study between Yunnan and Guangdong provinces, it highlights how critical factors, such as the level of local economic development, the environment, policy supports and the quality of social organizations, affect government purchasing public services in these two regions. The forms and contents of government purchasing public services may vary across regions in which financial support and social organization’s professional cannot compete equally. Hence, the article suggests that local government has to define the range and content of public service based on the local variations as well as needs of local citizen.