More and more researchers have been interested in the issue of the administrative regionalization reform of China in both theoretical circles and political circles in China,since Kang You⁃wei,the reformer in the last years of Qing dynasty,put forward a proposition of the research on administrative regionalization reform.They have conducted a great deal of research about the historical changes,the main weakness,the necessity of reform of administrative division of China and the relations between administrative division and the ethnic minority issue,economic development,urbanization,and government function,so they have obtained quite a few research results and got to a common view about dividing the province into more provinces,reducing administrative level and for Province administrating county.Due to multiple cause,there are many insufficiencies in these researches,such as the issue about administrative division wasn't studied from the perspective of politics,administrative science and economics,though the regime that dividing a country into administrative areas is a part of political system and administrative setup,and the political factors,the economic factors,social factors that influence the optimization of administrative division and their relationships haven't drawn enough attention so that there are insufficiencies in the theoretical depth about the optimization of administrative division,and it is detrimental to push forward administrative regionalization reform of China from practical situation efficiently.It's necessary to make up a multi⁃disciplinary perspective,comprehensive and systematic analytical framework with some regularities about optimization of administrative division to increase the explanation strengths,instructional strengths and authoritativeness of the theory about optimization of administrative division.In view of this,it's my responsibility to make up an analytical framework about optimization of administrative division,to carry out empirical study and application study,to propose reform measure.

Ⅰ The Values of the Research

The research is significant.Firstly,it contributes to enrich theory system of administrative division research.Secondly,it is conducive to quest the scientific meaning and elements of the model of optimization of administrative division to fit actual conditions in China.Thirdly,it is conducive to show the importance and urgency of optimization of administrative division in China.Finally,it is conducive to search the practical path to optimize the administrative division of China.

Ⅱ The Main Ideas of the Research

This research includestheoretical model,empirical test and applied research.Firstly,It's to make up an analytical framework about optimization of administrative division.Secondly,It's an empirical test about the analytical framework of optimization of administrative division.Thirdly,it's to study some key problems to promote administrative regionalization reform of China from practical situation.

Ⅲ Key Findings of the Research

Firstly,thecharacteristics of the system of provincial administrative region as formal institution and the cost⁃income differences among the interest subjects in the process of the reformation of the system of provincial administrative region determine that the model of compellent institutional changes combining between the higher and lower levels is an elementary path.

Secondly,enhancing administrative efficiency,Improving the ability of self⁃governance,promoting balanced development among regions and maintaining political stability are the value goals,inevitable demands and science benchmarks of optimization of administrative division.

Thirdly,an administrative region in accord with natural regionalization,ethnic areas or culture areas can promote administrative efficiency,which can exacerbate interregional development gap,and vice versa.

Fourthly,theorganizational elements which include the form of the state structure,the local government system and the mode of government functions,and the capacity factors which include the ability of the public administration,social capacity of self⁃government and the leading role of the central city,are the key factors that influence the span of control and the size of the jurisdictional area of the government in an administrative region.

Fifthly,the size of the province⁃ level administrative regions in China shows a negative correlation with the balanced development in the province⁃level administrative regions in China,which requires decreasing the size of the province⁃level administrative regions and increasing the quantity of the province⁃level administrative regions.

Sixthly,the optimization of administrative division requires appropriate span of control and management level,should be compatible with its political system and traditional political culture,has to abide by law,to advance administrative region of urban function and to diversify administrative division.

Seventhly,the advancement of the ability of the public administration of China,the differentiation of government functions,the dramatic increase of the economic aggregate in China laid a solid foundation for the optimization of administrative division in China.

Eighthly,thecentral government,provincial⁃level governments,most of the governments at the county level and people in administrative areas at the county level would have the momentum to push forward administrative regionalization reform of China.The governments in provincial capital and the district governments in prefecture⁃level city that will be rescinded would have some resistance.

Ⅳ The Main Innovations of the Research

This research includes three main innovations.Firstly,theresearch perspective is innovative.In this research the optimization of administrative division is studied from the perspectives of institutional demand,institutional supply and institutional changes.Secondly,the research approach is innovative.An analytical framework about optimization of administrative division has been made up by theoretical analysis,and empirical study and application study have been carried out by empirical analysis.Thirdly,the content is innovative.The innovations are to make up an analytical framework about optimization of administrative division,to carry out empirical study and application study,to propose reform measure.

Ⅴ The Main Deficiencies of the Research

There are four problems tohave much room to be researched further.Firstly,the relations between the administrative division and enhancing administrative efficiency,Improving the ability of self⁃governance,promoting balanced development among regions,maintaining political stability hasn't been studied by quantitative research.Secondly,the research about the momentum and resistance to push forward administrative regionalization reform of China lacked a deep investigation and empirical study.Thirdly,the research about the effects of the administrative regionalization reforms in China's history should be studied further.Fourthly,the relations between the administrative division and the correlative factors awaits further quantitative research.

Keywords: Optimization of Administrative Division； Resource Allocation； System Innovation； Sustainable Development