How can rural infrastructure construction be accelerated and improved?

New-type urbanization is the urbanization of people, and also the urbanization of coordinated urban-rural development. Improving rural infrastructure construction is an important part of coordinating urban and rural development. In response to the problems arising in rural infrastructure construction, the author puts forward the following suggestions for solutions.

1. Establish a governance concept that combines industrial development with rural infrastructure construction. New-type urbanization is people-centered urbanization. To enable farmers to stay in rural areas, the premise is that farmers' incomes in rural areas can grow and their lives are also convenient. To achieve these two points, industrial development is the guarantee. Every town and village has its own industrial characteristics, so farmers should be guided to develop characteristic industries, and market information should be actively provided and sales channels broadened. Corresponding rural infrastructure should be built according to the needs of industrial development. As urbanization advances, more rural people will be attracted to towns and cities, and fewer people will engage in agricultural production. Therefore, transforming traditional agriculture and developing modern agriculture is the development trend.

2. Guide and advance the process of rural infrastructure construction with the concept of urban-rural integration. Rural infrastructure construction is not isolated; it should be coordinated with urban infrastructure construction under the guidance of the concept of urban-rural integration. Rural infrastructure construction under the guidance of the concept of urban-rural integration has several layers of meaning: first, public finance and urban resources flow more into rural areas; second, the level of rural infrastructure construction should be equal to the level of urban infrastructure construction; third, rural infrastructure construction and urban infrastructure construction should form a joint force.

3. Improve the management mechanism of rural infrastructure construction and promote the maximization of capital benefits. Fiscal funds should be used in a coordinated way, and rural infrastructure construction projects should be rationally arranged. In terms of project application, township governments, village committees and village groups should establish a scientific and effective decision-making mechanism, feed back the infrastructure needs most urgently needed by villagers, ensure the benefits (practicality) of rural infrastructure projects from the source, and avoid the emergence of image projects and the waste of resources (funds, land, time and manpower). In terms of project approval, improve approval efficiency and reduce personal connections. In terms of construction bidding, management should be strict, the phenomenon of multi-level subcontracting should be eliminated, the qualifications of construction parties should be strictly reviewed, and construction plans should be carefully studied; in addition to considering cost, the practicality of the plan should also be considered. In terms of project construction and supervision, administrative villages or natural villages should establish councils or supervision groups to supervise the use of construction funds and construction quality. In terms of project evaluation, the principles of timeliness, openness, strictness and broad participation should be adhered to, and project evaluation should be done well. In terms of follow-up maintenance, a normalized mechanism for infrastructure maintenance should be established, including the provision of special funds and the management of dedicated personnel.

4. Actively give play to the coordinating role of villagers' self-governance organizations in rural infrastructure construction. Rural infrastructure construction requires self-governance organizations such as village committees to coordinate relations with higher-level governments, different village groups and villagers within village groups. They undertake fund management (raising and use), reporting of data, land adjustment and construction supervision, and so on. Moreover, the authority of the leaders of these organizations is very important; it will directly affect the process and quality of rural infrastructure construction. Today, villagers' self-governance faces many practical problems, such as the dispersion of operations, the strengthening of farmers' self-interest, the hollowing out and aging of rural areas, and the increase in additional tasks of villagers' self-governance organizations. In this social context, the main criterion for measuring the effect of villagers' self-governance is the ability of villagers' self-governance organizations to overcome the collective action dilemma in the supply of rural public goods, mainly manifested in the ability to coordinate the relations among different actors and the conflict between public interests and private interests so as to promote rural infrastructure construction.