Through a detailed comparative study of the impact of local government reform in Qingdao, Jinan and Linyi municipalities of Shandong province in the People's Republic of China, Jing Cui argues that the three municipalities have achieved different results in government restructuring, public service delivery, personnel management and bureaucratic accountability reform. By synthesizing the current literatures about the factors affecting local government reform, this book explores how the three important factors, that is, the local context, the relationship between the central and local governments and the political leadership facilitate or hinder the effectiveness of local government reform in the three municipalities.