Evaluation of China's rural basic public service guarantee capability under the new "dual circulation" pattern

Abstract

Based on China's new development paradigm of "dual circulation",this paper aims to meet the three new requirements faced by basic public services in rural China,namely consumption upgrading,human capital cultivation,and coordinated regional development. Addressing the issue of regional differentiation in the supply of rural public services in China,and following the principles of accessibility,representativeness,comprehensiveness,and dynamism,this paper constructs an evaluation system for support capacity,encompassing three primary indicators and 31 secondary indicators related to fiscal investment,service output,and support effectiveness. The entropy weight TOPSIS method is employed to evaluate the support capacity of basic public services in rural areas across 31 provinces (including autonomous regions and municipalities) in China in 2024.The evaluation results reveal a four-tiered differentiation pattern in the support capacity of basic public services in rural China.Eight regions,including Shanghai and Beijing, demonstrate strong support capacity;nine regions,such as Hainan,exhibit relatively strong support capacity;ten regions,including Heilongjiang,have average support capacity;and four regions, including Ningxia,have weak support capacity.Overall,there is a regional disparity characterized by stronger support capacity in the east and weaker support capacity in the west.