What is the difference between China's social management and the United States?

The history of American society is not long, and its characteristics are obvious. An obvious feature is that immigrants in early American society were numerous, widely distributed and had different beliefs. The government is unable to take care of many social problems and public affairs brought about by rapid and diverse immigration. Helping each other and building a * * * community has become the basic feature of American social structure and cultural structure. In the past 200 years, this feature has been continuously developed and improved. As former US President Bill Clinton said: "The concept of opportunity runs through our history and is the driving force of unity. It guides us to do our best, it attracts people from other countries to our shores, and it makes us all commit ourselves to a common dream. "

The main characteristics of current American social management

(A) Social development expenditure accounts for a huge proportion of public expenditure, which broadens the sources of social development funds.

In 2003, in the United States, four families whose daily income was 18.8 10 or less were regarded as poor families. According to this standard, about 10% of Americans are below the poverty line, with a total number of 35.9 million. In order to cope with poverty, many poor families receive welfare assistance, and a large amount of government funds are used for food, clothing, housing and transportation of low-income groups. All welfare projects of the federal government-including social security, health and various welfare projects-account for almost half of its government financial expenditure. Even so, it still cannot meet the needs of society. Americans in need have to turn to other welfare resources-private, charitable and voluntary organizations. The United States government, federal and state governments and local governments also directly or indirectly support these non-governmental service organizations to provide various social services. The main ways include: establishing and perfecting the system of laws and regulations; Encourage private individuals and citizens to donate to non-profit organizations through tax exemption or reduction; Directly support non-profit organizations through government funds; Provide indirect support to non-profit organizations through personal subsidies and tax rebates for services provided by non-profit organizations.

As early as Clinton's administration, the U.S. government approved supporting faith-based organizations or community organizations to participate in social services, approved laws and regulations supporting faith-based organizations, and gave financial support. However, during the Clinton administration, the scale of government support funds was very small. Compared with the Democratic Party, * * * and the Party attach more importance to and support non-profit organizations. Former US President Ronald Reagan called non-profit organizations the social safety net of the United States (see table 1). In the campaign platform of 2000, the current President Bush took supporting religious organizations and community organizations to provide social services as one of his term goals. He believes that people need not only service, but also love between people, and only voluntary organizations can meet such requirements and provide such contributions. Immediately after his election, Bush established the White House Office of Religion and Community, and allocated funds to support the disadvantaged groups in society.

The hurricane disaster in 2005 made people see the American people's volunteer spirit and charity tradition in the disaster. Of course, Bush also recognized the positive role of non-profit organizations in this disaster, so he instructed the White House Office of Faith and Community to mobilize national non-profit organizations to participate in disaster relief work. In fact, in providing social services, the cooperation between the government and non-profit organizations is complementary. On September, 2000 1 1 day, the US government invested billions of dollars, mainly for infrastructure reconstruction and basic services, while American non-profit organizations provided hundreds of millions of dollars, mainly for urgently needed services such as food and accommodation.

In 2003, Americans donated $24 10 billion to charitable organizations or non-profit organizations, of which 83% were personal donations (including legacy donations), 1 1% were foundations and 6% were enterprises.

In the United States, only 20% of the income of non-profit organizations comes from donations from individuals, foundations and legal persons, 3 1% comes from government funds or contracts, and 49% comes from donations, fees, investment income and other income. This situation is basically consistent with the international comparative research results of Hobokins University (see Table 2). The relationship between American government and non-profit organizations is rooted in a deep strategic partnership. The American government relies on the non-profit sector to implement human services, especially health, education and welfare services. About half of the government's funds for health, education and welfare services are implemented through community-based non-profit organizations. The government's direct support for non-profit organizations is manifested in direct support for non-profit organizations' funds and direct signing with non-profit organizations; Pay directly for non-profit organizations involved in low-income services. The government's indirect support for non-profit organizations includes tax exemption and tax reduction; Provide tax credits for non-profit organizations engaged in child care, elderly care and housing subsidies (the government pays for individuals who pay for such services), and provide tax relief for national debt insurance.

(2) To realize the socialization of social services with the guidance of social needs and problem solving.

Another feature of American social management is that the services provided by many other governments are provided by non-profit organizations and private individuals in the United States. American non-profit organizations are characterized by formal organization, independence from the government, non-profit, self-discipline and voluntariness. According to American law, its non-profit organizations include 150, covering the fields of culture, art, entertainment, education, research, health, hospitals, nursing homes, nurseries and other health institutions; Social services, relief for the disabled, refugee relief, environmental protection and animal protection; Economic, social and community development; Housing, employment and employment training; Citizen advocacy organizations; Legal services, charities, religious organizations, professional or trade organizations, etc. (see Table 3). In addition, there are 84,800 trade associations in the United States. The American people believe that non-profit organizations can provide services that the government cannot. For example, Jimtowey, assistant to the President of the United States and director of the office of faith-based organizations and communities, said: "The government can provide funds, mobilize the army to rescue and provide necessary materials, but it cannot provide more specific services, such as psychological rehabilitation of the affected people and reconstruction of social relations. And non-profit organizations can do it. Non-profit organizations can build mutual trust and networks between people through various services, including voluntary services, and form community organizations and social relations. " In addition, non-profit organizations operate most social sectors in the United States and provide various social services.

In the United States, the proportion of non-profit organizations and their services in all social services is quite high, accounting for almost half or even more of all social services.

Most non-profit organizations in the United States are local, and there are not many at the federal level. Non-profit organizations in the United States can make profits, but profits cannot be distributed. Surplus can only be used for organizational development. Therefore, non-profit organizations are sometimes called non-profit companies in the United States. 1990, the assets of American non-profit organizations exceeded $996 billion, reaching 1.9 trillion in 2000 and $2.4 trillion in 2002. The main reasons for the rapid development of non-profit organizations in the United States are: first, the demand for public services in American society is increasing; Second, the population of the United States has continued to grow in the past few decades; Thirdly, President Jefferson, especially President Reagan, has given great support to charity.

In the United States, community is a frequently used concept, but it has a wide range of uses. Sometimes it refers to a block, sometimes it refers to a community. Especially in the United States, a country with diverse cultures and complex races, the integration and coexistence of ethnic groups has become a key issue, so the community places special emphasis on the relationship between ethnic groups. The tradition of attaching importance to community development in the United States has a long history. Their community organizations began to take shape in the 1920s, and by the 1960s, they basically formed an operational framework. At first, they emphasized the coordination and combination of national, local and community service institutions, and the balance between community resources and human needs.

Today, better organization of community welfare services is still a major goal of "community intervention". This "community intervention" includes intervention in poverty, unemployment, crime and environmental pollution. Community development in the United States is a process of enhancing social awareness. Through the extensive participation of residents, we can understand our own needs and take positive improvement actions, focusing on the participation of the people and the assistance of public and private institutions. With the assistance of public and private institutions, mobilize all resources in the community to solve various problems in the community, such as welfare, employment and environmental pollution. To improve the welfare and quality of life of residents in the whole community.

One of the main problems in the development of American society is: economic fluctuation, landslide and the younger generation leaving their communities to find new and greater employment opportunities, which leads to crowded population in metropolises, high unemployment rate and brain drain in small settlements. Therefore, solving the employment problem of community residents has become the common action and basic goal of community organizations. Income and employment are the most concerned issues of community residents, as well as the most concerned issues and work objectives of community organizations.

President Bush established faith-based organizations and community offices to strengthen the partnership between the federal government and faith-based organizations and other community organizations to solve poverty and other problems. He said that this office "aims to arouse people's hope for social organizations, and they can do things that the government can't." It ignites people's new hopes for life, and many times the government can't do it. He said: "Our country is very lucky. In history, it has sincerely devoted itself to those individuals, families and communities who cannot share in the development and prosperity of the country. Despite the continuous efforts of the federal government, some of our neighbors still suffer from poverty and disappointment, and all Americans, regardless of age and department, should care about them. "In 2004, in the United States, one fifth of young people under the age of 0/8-nearly13 million teenagers-were hungry or on the verge of hunger; The father or mother of 2 million teenagers is serving a sentence in prison; Last year, 22 million Americans were in a state of basic dependence or drug abuse and violence; Of the 42 million AIDS patients or HIV carriers in the world, 900,000 are Americans.

As the president of the United States, Bush set up this kind of office for the first time in order to play the role of faith-based organizations and community organizations in solving social problems. To achieve his goal, he also set up 10 and community development centers in seven other cabinet departments (justice, agriculture, health and human services, housing and urban development, education and national development). The task of the White House Office and ten other centers is to authorize faith-based organizations or other community organizations to use federal funds. The White House Office does not manage personnel and fund projects, nor does it participate in project decision-making. Similarly, community development centers provide information and training for faith-based organizations or other community organizations. They don't decide which faith organization or other community organization to fund. Each specific project has been applied for funds through established procedures and competitive methods.

The role of the White House Office only includes: legislating, identifying and removing obstacles to project implementation, and encouraging more charitable organizations to participate in this activity through public education. Its priority areas include the welfare of juvenile offenders, ex-convicts, homeless and hungry people, drug addicts and violent people, people living with HIV/AIDS and working families. It provides financial information, introduces application conditions and experiences of other organizations by organizing White House meetings.

(3) Improve the law and classify and manage non-profit organizations.

Although non-profit organizations are large in scale and have high economic value in the United States, there are not many laws and government agencies related to non-profit organizations in the United States. Federal tax law is the main tool for the management of American non-profit organizations. The National Internal Revenue Service is the main agency of the federal government responsible for supervising and managing the non-profit sector. The main duty of the Internal Revenue Service is to collect taxes according to law.

Article 50 1 (c) of the United States lists 27 different types of organizations that can enjoy tax exemption. Charitable organizations are just one of them. Charitable organizations are bound by the tax clause 50 1 (c) (3). This article defines charitable organizations as organizations that support education, health, poverty eradication, religious and scientific development, promote social welfare or other organizations that are conducive to community development. Non-profit organizations can enjoy not only income tax relief, but also tax relief. In other words, their donors can reduce or exempt income tax for their donations. Religious organizations such as churches, temples and mosques enjoy all the tax-free treatment that non-profit organizations can enjoy. Unlike other non-profit organizations, religious organizations do not have to disclose their financial status to the public. In other words, religious organizations don't have to follow the 50 1 (c) (3) tax clause like other non-profit organizations. This is because the American Constitution guarantees religious freedom and separation of church and state.

The non-profit management department of the IRS has fewer staff, less budget and overloaded work. In addition, no other department manages non-profit organizations at the federal level. In 2004, the bureau had 800 staff members throughout the country. Among them, there are 250 to 300 tax-exempt auditors and tax refund auditors, and there are 88 people in Washington headquarters, including 30 qualified financial personnel.

At the state level, state judges and state courts are responsible for disputes and other affairs of non-profit organizations, and their management revolves around two purposes: to ensure that funds raised from the public can be used for public welfare purposes; Provide accurate and reliable financial and project information. So far, few state governments have provided guiding policies for non-profit organizations.

A recent change is that the US government began to pay attention to the performance of government grants and donations, and entrusted universities and research institutions to conduct research and evaluate inputs and outputs. This new development trend appeared at the suggestion of some foundations. For example, the McMillan Foundation has been committed to accountability, transparency and business capacity building. They suggested to President Bush that the use of various public funds should be evaluated to improve the efficiency of the use of public funds, and President Bush accepted their suggestions. Evaluation depends not only on direct output, but also on indirect impact. For example, the training supported by the government or non-profit organizations depends not only on how many people have been trained, but also on the future development status and development ability of these trained people. Assistance to the poor is not only to help them avoid hunger, but more importantly, to help them find opportunities for development and reintegrate into society.

Thinking and Enlightenment of American Social Management Tradition and Characteristics to China

Obviously, China and the United States have different histories, huge cultural differences and different political systems. In the process of building a harmonious socialist society, China needs to learn from international experience, but it cannot simply copy it.

(A) to meet social needs and solve social problems, improve China's social management system.

In view of the contradiction of "one leg is long and one leg is short" in China's current economic and social development, it is necessary to improve the social management system. At present, the fundamental contradiction of China's social development is mainly manifested in the contradiction between the people's growing social demand and the lagging social supply. Specifically, employment has been in a state of high pressure for a long time, social security is not perfect, the income distribution gap is widening, the infrastructure of social undertakings is weak, the education popularization and the education level of the labor force are low, the public health system is not perfect, the spiritual and cultural life is not rich enough, the urban and rural development is unbalanced, and the regional development is unbalanced, especially the rural social undertakings are backward, so as to achieve the goal of "two basics". The existence of these problems is not conducive to meeting the basic needs of different groups for public services such as education, health and culture, balancing the interests of different groups, affecting social fairness and justice, and not meeting the requirements of building a harmonious society. Meeting the different needs of different groups for interests and solving challenging social problems are the starting point and destination of perfecting China's social management system.

(b) Expand the proportion of social development expenditure in public finance to meet the social service needs of different interest groups.

Public expenditure should be used to ensure social fairness and justice. On the premise of ensuring the normal operation of government agencies and public affairs in China, public finance must provide necessary financial support for all kinds of social public services in the case of market failure; Provide necessary financial support for various public welfare or non-profit projects.

The government's financial expenditure must resolutely withdraw from the general competition field, and the content of public financial expenditure for social public services must be strictly defined and standardized by the standards of "market failure" and "public products and services". According to the characteristics of our country, we should set up development fund projects in the fields of basic housing, education and employment training, provide public services through bidding for non-profit organizations, and manage projects through non-profit organizations; Set up a number of public fund projects in the fields of health, education, employment and social security, and encourage domestic and foreign non-profit organizations to actively participate in providing social public services.

The financial expenditure of social public services of the people's governments at all levels shall be listed separately in the financial budget in accordance with the principle of unity of administrative power and financial power. The growth of financial allocation for social public services by governments at all levels should be higher than the growth of recurrent fiscal revenue, and gradually increase according to the average cost of the number of people receiving social public services. The financial expenditure on social services should be tilted to backward areas, to the field of community construction and to the social welfare departments, so as to ensure that the financial expenditure on social services in economically underdeveloped areas and rural areas and the financial expenditure on social services in community construction and social welfare departments are faster than those in other regions and departments.

(C) classified management of social organizations, "let go of a large area and limit a small part."

First of all, we should implement classified management of social organizations. Different tax policies can be formulated according to the service types of social organizations, such as health, education, scientific research, charity, community, culture and welfare. Encourage the development of social organizations engaged in social services, and formulate corresponding laws to restrict political organizations with certain political intentions that may affect social stability. According to different types of social organizations, the government has formulated different laws and regulations and implemented different management methods. The policy of "opening a large area and restricting a small part" may be the most effective choice for the management of social organizations in China at present.

Secondly, promote the separation of management and operation of social organizations and stimulate the vitality of social organizations. It is necessary to further transform, standardize and improve the administrative function of the government to social organizations, from the sole provider of public welfare services to the guarantor, from direct ownership and management to the formulation, supervision and evaluation of planning rules; In-depth study of scientific and effective management methods and means to manage non-operating state-owned assets, change the situation of "owners" and "organizers" and improve the efficiency of the use of state-owned assets; Establish the quality supervision, evaluation and certification system of the government and high-level social intermediary organizations.

Third, strengthen the macro management of the development of social organizations. It is necessary to further promote the reform of the management system in social fields such as education, health and culture, study and put forward the overall thinking and reform outline of the management system reform in various industries of social organizations and institutions, unify relevant supporting policies, and coordinate the reform process; Strengthen community construction and promote associations, industry organizations and social intermediary organizations to play a good role in providing services, reflecting demands and standardizing behaviors; It is necessary to safeguard the interests of all social strata, especially to attach great importance to and care for difficult industries and the masses, and to protect the rights and interests of vulnerable groups.