Background As the level of government closest to citizens and the real economy, local and regional authorities have an important role in tackling the severe impact of the current economic crisis. The double pressures of decreasing public revenue and increasing demand for services, however, call for more …

In 1949 the People's Republic of China emerged from a civil war with communist Mao Zedong as its victor. During the peak of Mao's rule China was completely isolated from the world. In the 1960's China lost the support of the Soviet Union due to failed policies such as the Great Leap Forward and various …