Local revitalization policy should be formally codified into law, channeling resources to disadvantaged regions and people
Text / Hsieh Chih-cheng (Chairman, Rural Development Foundation)
To address the crisis of unbalanced development caused by dense urban populations and population loss in local villages, the Japanese government, starting in 2009, had the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications propose the "Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team Promotion Guidelines" to attract urban residents to move to the countryside and eventually settle there. In December 2012, when Abe took office for the second time, in order to revive Japan's economy that had been stagnant for many years, he proposed in his Abenomics the policy of "invigorating the regeneration of local small economic zones" (local revitalization) (Japanese: ちほうそうせい), and decided to elevate local revitalization to the level of an overall national strategy, with the goal of establishing a local revitalization relationship of positive cyclical development among "region, talent, and work."
Legally, the "Act on the Revitalization of Towns, People, and Work" and the "Regional Revitalization Act" were successively passed as the legal basis for promoting related policies. In terms of organizational structure, the "Headquarters for the Revitalization of Towns, People, and Work" was established under the Cabinet Office, with the Prime Minister personally serving as its director-general, and a new position of "Minister for Local Revitalization" was created, primarily responsible for fully promoting local revitalization policy.
In terms of policy, the so-called "three arrows of the local revitalization version" were proposed: the arrow of information support (establishing a regional economic analysis system), the arrow of talent support (including regional revitalization evangelists, local revitalization gatekeepers, local revitalization academies, local revitalization internship systems, and talent support for local revitalization, etc.), and the arrow of financial support.
Reference content for the "Local Revitalization Ordinance (Draft)"
Accordingly, in this spirit of offering humble suggestions, the author proposes a modest proposal for the codification of local revitalization into law - the "Local Revitalization Ordinance (Draft)" - for everyone's reference. Continuing from the first "Executive Yuan Local Revitalization Meeting" convened by the Executive Yuan in May 2018 and the policies successively released and briefings held by the National Development Council, the "Local Revitalization Ordinance (Draft)" (hereinafter referred to as "this Ordinance") is structured on the basis of policy continuity, divided into five chapters and nineteen articles. The key points are as follows:
I. Competent Authorities
The competent authorities of this Ordinance: at the central level, the National Development Council; in special municipalities, the special municipal governments; in counties (cities), the county (city) governments; in townships (towns, cities), the township (town, city) offices. (Article 2 of the Draft)
II. Designation of Priority Promotion Areas and Local Revitalization Special Zones
1. The central competent authority shall establish standards and designate townships (towns, cities) meeting those standards as local revitalization priority promotion areas. Local revitalization priority promotion areas shall be announced by the Executive Yuan and published in the government gazette. (Article 3 of the Draft)
2. The central competent authority shall, for local revitalization priority promotion areas that require special measures for revitalization, report to the Executive Yuan for approval as local revitalization special zones. The designation and operation of local revitalization special zones shall be separately prescribed by law. (Article 4 of the Draft)
III. Local Revitalization Organizations
1. The Executive Yuan shall establish a Central Local Revitalization Meeting, whose tasks are: (1) Approving the national strategy for local revitalization. (2) Supervising and evaluating matters related to local revitalization of the central government, special municipalities, and counties (cities). (3) Other matters prescribed by laws and regulations. The Central Local Revitalization Meeting shall have the Premier and Vice Premier of the Executive Yuan concurrently serving as convener and deputy convener; several members shall be appointed or engaged concurrently by the Premier of the Executive Yuan from among ministers without portfolio, the Secretary-General, heads of relevant agencies, business figures, and experts and scholars with local revitalization experience. The Central Local Revitalization Meeting shall establish a Central Local Revitalization Meeting Working Group, with personnel assigned concurrently by the central competent authority from among its current staff, to handle the secretariat work of the Local Revitalization Meeting. (Articles 5 and 6 of the Draft)
2. Special municipality and county (city) governments within whose jurisdictions there are designated local revitalization priority promotion areas shall establish special municipality and county (city) local revitalization meetings, whose tasks are:
(1) Approving the local revitalization strategy of the special municipality or county (city). (2) Approving the local revitalization business plans of the special municipality or county (city). (3) Supervising and evaluating matters related to local revitalization within the jurisdiction. (4) Other matters prescribed by laws and regulations. The special municipality and county (city) local revitalization meeting shall have the chief and deputy heads of the special municipality or county (city) government concurrently serving as convener and deputy convener; several members shall be appointed or engaged concurrently by the head of the special municipality or county (city) from among heads of relevant agencies and units, business figures, and experts and scholars with local revitalization experience. The special municipality or county (city) shall establish a local revitalization working group to execute the affairs of the special municipality or county (city) local revitalization meeting; its organization shall be prescribed by the special municipality or county (city) government. (Articles 7 and 8 of the Draft)
3. Township (town, city) offices designated as local revitalization priority promotion areas shall establish township (town, city) local revitalization meetings, whose tasks are:
(1) Approving the local revitalization strategy of the township (town, city). (2) Approving the local revitalization business plans of the township (town, city). (3) Supervising and evaluating matters related to local revitalization within the jurisdiction. (4) Other matters prescribed by laws and regulations. The township (town, city) local revitalization meeting shall have one convener and one deputy convener. The convener shall be concurrently served by the township (town, city) chief; several members shall be appointed or engaged concurrently by the township (town, city) chief from among heads of relevant agencies and units, business figures, and experts and scholars with local revitalization experience. The deputy convener shall be designated by the convener from among the members to serve concurrently. The township (town, city) shall establish a local revitalization working group to execute the affairs of the township (town, city) local revitalization meeting; its organization shall be prescribed by the township (town, city) office. (Articles 9 and 10 of the Draft)
III. National Local Revitalization Strategy and Local Revitalization Strategies of Special Municipalities, Counties (Cities), and Townships (Towns, Cities)
1. The central competent authority shall, with the goal of achieving balanced development in Taiwan, formulate a national strategy for local revitalization, stating the following matters, as the basis for guiding the formulation of local revitalization strategies and local revitalization business plans of special municipalities, counties (cities), and townships (towns, cities) and for promoting local revitalization:
(1) The vision of local revitalization. (2) The goals of local revitalization. (3) The strategies of local revitalization. (4) The basic concepts of local revitalization. (5) The promotion principles of local revitalization. (6) The promotion strategy of local revitalization. (7) The promotion framework of local revitalization. In addition, the national comprehensive strategy for local revitalization shall be reviewed and revised at least once every four years, and reported to the Central Local Revitalization Meeting of the Executive Yuan for approval, as the policy basis for promoting local revitalization.
2. Special municipality and county (city) governments within whose jurisdictions there are designated local revitalization priority promotion areas, and township (town, city) offices designated as local revitalization priority promotion areas, may refer to the national strategy for local revitalization and, based on the actual circumstances of each government, formulate the local revitalization strategy of each special municipality, county (city), and township (town, city) (non-mandatory). The local revitalization strategies of special municipalities, counties (cities), and townships (towns, cities) shall be reviewed and revised at least once every four years, and reported to the local revitalization meeting of each special municipality, county (city), and township (town, city) for approval; the matters to be stated therein shall be prescribed by the central competent authority.
IV. Promotion of Local Revitalization Businesses
1. Special municipality and county (city) governments and township (town, city) offices shall, in conjunction with relevant competent authorities for target undertakings, enterprises, and civil organizations, and by referring to the national strategy for local revitalization and the local revitalization strategies of each special municipality, county (city) government, and township (town, city), and based on the actual circumstances of each government, draft the local revitalization business plans of each special municipality, county (city) government, and township (town, city).
The regulations on the matters to be stated, proposal methods and application procedures, review procedures, etc. of the local revitalization business plans referred to in the first paragraph shall be prescribed by the central competent authority.
The funds required to execute the local revitalization business plans referred to in the first paragraph may be subsidized by the central competent authority after verification. The central competent authority may also agree that the subsidized party execute them by way of collecting and disbursing on behalf of others. (Article 13 of the Draft)
2. Citizens shall deeply understand issues such as the decline of our country's total population, the aging population and declining birthrate, and the imbalance between urban and rural development, and shall do their utmost to cooperate with the local revitalization policies promoted by governments at all levels. (Article 14 of the Draft)
3. Governments at all levels may, in order to promote local revitalization, request relevant government agencies or civil organizations to provide information, and may consult their opinions when necessary. (Article 15 of the Draft)
4. The government shall provide preferential measures to guide enterprises to invest in local revitalization businesses. (Article 16 of the Draft)
5. The central competent authority shall coordinate and integrate relevant resources of ministries and commissions to implement the work of promoting local revitalization. (Article 17 of the Draft)
6. Each executing agency executing matters prescribed by this Ordinance may appoint or commission other agencies (institutions), legal persons, or organizations to handle them. (Article 18)
(In order to deeply grasp rural development and local revitalization in the real context of Taiwan, "Upstream and Downstream" has cooperated with the "Rural Development Foundation" on a "Rural Development Special Topic," using a series of articles to explore Taiwan's current situation and Japan's policy trends. To read the full series of articles, please click here)