The Dragon, the Eagle, and the Private Sector: Public-Private Collaboration in China and the United States

Description

The governments of China and the United States - despite profound differences in history, culture, economic structure, and political ideology - both engage the private sector in the pursuit of public value. This book employs the term collaborative governance to describe relationships where neither the public nor private party is fully in control, arguing that such shared discretion is needed to deliver value to citizens. This concept is exemplified across a wide range of policy arenas, such as constructing high speed rail, hosting the Olympics, building human capital, and managing the healthcare system. This book will help decision-makers apply the principles of collaborative governance to effectively serve the public, and will enable China and the United States to learn from each other's experiences. It will empower public decision-makers to more wisely engage the private sector. The book's overarching conclusion is that transparency is the key to the legitimate growth of collaborative governance.

Karen Eggleston is Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Director of the Asia Health Policy Program in the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center at Stanford University. John D. Donahue is Faculty Chair for the Master's in Public Policy program at the Harvard Kennedy School. Richard J. Zeckhauser is the Frank Ramsey Professor of Political Economy at the Harvard Kennedy School.

'It has become increasingly clear over the last few years that in tackling a country's problems, what matters most is the quality of government rather than the quantity. This book provides a key to understanding how to achieve that quality-public-private collaboration, done right. Delving deep into two very different societies, the US and China, the authors provide lessons that illuminate and should inform scholars and policymakers alike.' Fareed Zakaria 'This important book addresses how the two most important countries, the U.S. and China, address what may be their most important question: How can their public and private sectors cooperate most effectively with each other to create value. This is the rare book that is both analytic and a pleasure to read. It makes a lasting impression. It deserves a very wide readership among all those concerned about the future of the global economy.' Lawrence H Summers, President Emeritus, Harvard University 'Eggleston, Donahue, and Zeckhauser offer an authoritative and intriguing account of why and how collaborative governance, a key modern instrument that engages public and private actors for comparative advantages in coping with complex public affairs, has been widely and deeply practiced in two vastly different countries, China and the US. An essential reading with profound academic inspirations and rich empirical inquiries.' Yijia Jing, Fudan University 'In an age obsessed with the governance differences between China and America, this rich volume reveals the common challenges and choices they confront. U.S. and Chinese leaders are driven to 'collaborative governance' strategies to meet growing demands for public services - housing, health care, transportation, and education. Both systems seek an optimal mix of public and private sector discretion that generates more productivity, information, resources, and legitimacy. Rigorously comparative, the authors suggest the conditions under which various mixes of public-private discretion are preferable, emphasizing the critical roles of transparency and experimentation. This volume will have a long shelf life.' David M Lampton, Johns Hopkins University 'The authors provide a refreshing lens to compare governance and the provision of public goods in the U.S. and China. Despite differences in political structures, economic organization and ideologies, privately delivered services account for around 30 percent of all government service spending. Surprisingly similar, yet profoundly different in ways, both countries rely heavily on the private sector to pursue public goals. This book provides the reader with a refreshing way of comparing government's role and performance in delivering public goods and offers a clear, concise framework for thinking about collaborative governance.' Tony Saich, Harvard Kennedy School