Research on Innovation of China’s Rural Governance Mode: Evidence from 155 Typical Cases (2019–2023)
Abstract
The modernization of rural governance in China faces severe adaptive crises triggered by "rapid urbanization" and "rural hollowing." As traditional social structures dissolve, diverse challenges—from the "hollowing out" of agricultural areas to the "overcrowding" of peri-urban villages—demand effective governance reconstruction beyond singular administrative models. This study aims to construct a spectrum of governance models, analyze their generation pathways across differentiated contexts, and reveal the evolutionary trends of governance modernization to answer how effective order is reconstructed amidst high uncertainty. Adopting a qualitative inductive research design, this study utilizes 155 "Typical Cases of Rural Governance" officially released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (2019–2023). Employing textual content analysis supported by qualitative software, it strictly follows the logic of ascending from specific empirical observations to theoretical generalizations. The analysis identifies four core innovation mechanisms: "Party Building Leadership" fostering whole-process participation; "System Reform" integrating autonomy, rule of law, and rule of virtue; "Comprehensive Innovation" utilizing digital empowerment for long-term operations; and "Problem-Oriented" mechanisms addressing practical demands. These models exhibit strong context-dependence correlated with regional economic conditions. The study concludes that rural governance is evolving from single-model dominance to diversified coexistence. Future modernization must integrate "Party Building +", "Three Governance", and digital technologies to provide adaptable solutions for both "hollowing" and "overcrowding" scenarios, offering a scientific reference for sustainable rural revitalization.
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