BEIJING, Dec. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Beijing, through "Swift Response to Public Complaints" reform, has pioneered a new paradigm of megacity governance driven by citizens' concerns, and contributed a groundbreaking "Beijing model" and Chinese solution to the global wave of hotline-driven urban governance, according to a report released on the 2024 Beijing Forum on Swift Response to Public Complaints on Wednesday.
A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.
The Evaluation Report on Worldwide City Hotline Services and Governance Effectiveness (2024), released by the Worldwide City Hotline Services and Governance Effectiveness Evaluation Team and compiled by joint research group from the Xinhua Research Center for Digital Government and Institute for Digital Government and Governance of Tsinghua University, offers scientific evaluations of hotline services and governance effectiveness in 20 representative cities worldwide, along with a thorough analysis and summary of their operational models and experiences.
The report conducts a comprehensive review and comparative analyses of the hotline operational experiences in representative cities, serving as an important reference worldwide, according to Alfred Tat-Kei Ho, professor with the Department of Public and International Affairs, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at the City University of Hong Kong, and fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration of the United States. Through big data analysis and interdepartmental collaboration, China has achieved targeted services and refined governance in city hotline and e-government services, providing a valuable reference for the world, Alfred Tat-Kei Ho said.
The report identifies Beijing's 12345 hotline as an integrative one that is characterized by high integration, comprehensive coverage, and efficient coordination featuring all-around and integrated development and showcasing particular strengths in process governance, collaborative governance, smart governance, and responsive governance, with significant progress achieved in all regards.
The report notes that since its launch, Beijing's 12345 hotline has been evolving in step with the city's development. It has established a service mechanism centered around the 12345 hotline to swiftly respond to, efficiently process and offer prompt feedback to public concerns, benefiting both residents and businesses, and ultimately solidified an innovative transformation of megacity governance through encompassing citizen engagement. This approach has offered not only practical experience but also a Chinese solution to the complex issue of megacity governance. The achievements from Beijing's 12345 hotline can be largely attributed to its integrated, systematic, intelligent, and law-based development philosophy and operational model, the report says.
Beijing has established a working mechanism of community based whistleblowing and interdepartmental coordination through the 12345 government service hotline. This systematic integration of resources allows for rapid interdepartmental coordination and offers a "one-stop" response to citizen complaints, with a single call resolving multiple issues.
Moreover, Beijing places a significant focus on technology empowerment to elevate the smart capabilities of its hotline services. Beijing employs the internet, big data, AI and blockchain technologies to build intelligent response and knowledge access systems. The city has introduced smart response robots and the Beijing 12345 Service Map to improve the hotline convenience and efficiency. Furthermore, by using big data mining, the 12345 hotline identifies prominent livelihood issues and governance bottlenecks from the vast database of complaints, and pinpoints high-frequency and common issues in varied fields, offering an accurate portrait of city governance. The hotline addresses key issues in a targeted manner, escalates responses, and launches targeted campaigns to tackle high priority issues. This strategy significantly strengthens the relevance and effectiveness of megacity governance.
The report also highlights that Beijing gives significant attention to top-level design of its city hotline. The city has prioritized the role of the rule of law in solidifying the gains of its swift response reform. The city's enactment of regulations including the ordinance on the swift response to public complaints and the 12345 hotline service and management standards marked the transition of the reform from exploration to a stage of law-based, standardized and sustainable development and also greatly enhanced public trust and support.
Experts note that Beijing's 12345 hotline is dedicated to tackling issues head-on, with its operations centered on resolving key issues. It not only focuses on addressing individual citizen concerns but also emphasizes the research and formulation of policy measures to tackle common issues. The city hotline is not only a channel for policy consulting and expressing complaints but also an important tool for leading and driving governance reforms. Moreover, it has evolved into an effective means for every citizen to deeply engage in social governance.
Li Wenzhao, deputy director of RUC Capital Development and Governance Institute, believes that Beijing's "Swift Response to Public Complaints" reform serves as an institutional design for understanding and responding to public sentiments. It implements the people-first philosophy by organically linking complaints with responses and establishes a service mechanism of rapid responses to citizen complaints through efficient handling, and timely feedback, integrating citizens and businesses into the city governance framework.
Source: The Worldwide City Hotline Services and Governance Effectiveness Evaluation Team
CONTACT: Contact person: Ms. Zhu, Tel: 86-10-63074558
