The Operational Dilemmas and Optimization Pathways of Villager Self-Governance under the Rural Revitalization Strategy
As the core part of China’s grassroots mass autonomy system, villager autonomy constitutes the foundation of the rural governance system that integrates self-governance, rule of law, and rule of virtue. It plays an important role in activating rural endogenous momentum, protecting farmers’ dominant position, and consolidating the foundation of grassroots democracy during rural revitalization. Using the AGIL systemic functional model as the analytical tool and combining official statistical data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Bureau of Statistics, this paper examines the practical operational dilemmas of the villager autonomy system from four functional dimensions: Adaptation, Goal Attainment, Integration, and Latent Pattern Maintenance. It also explores the causes of these dilemmas. The study finds that the current villager autonomy system faces systematic problems. These include insufficient resource acquisition capacity, deviated autonomy goals, failed integration of multiple governance subjects, and weakened support from local rural social culture. Based on the logic of AGIL function restoration, this paper proposes optimization paths from four dimensions: resource supply, goal calibration, mechanism integration, and cultural cultivation. The aim is to improve the quality and efficiency of the villager autonomy system and support the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas.
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