地方政府是一个国家政治制度的重要组成部分。地方机构尤其是地方行政机构和管理体制的改革，是中国90年代机构改革和政治体制改革的重要内容和紧迫任务。对中国地方政权机构与西方发达国家地方政府进行比较研究，探讨不同国家地方政府的特点及演变规律，对推进地方机构改革和 Local government is an important part of a country’s political system. The reform of local institutions, especially local administrative institutions and management systems, is an important part and an urgent task for the institutional reforms and political restructuring in China in the 1990s. A comparative study of the local government agencies in China and western developed countries to explore the characteristics and evolution of local governments in different countries and to promote the reform of local institutions and