Core Issues on Constructing an Indigenous Knowledge System in China's Public Administration

This paper conducts a systematic study focusing on the core issues of constructing an Indigenous knowledge system in China's public administration. It points out that the Indigenous knowledge system of public administration is characterized by five major attributes: indigeneity, practicality, inheritance, inclusiveness, and contemporaneity. Through term etymology and connotation analysis, this paper explicitly recommends translating the Chinese zìzhǔ zhīshí tǐxì uniformly as “Indigenous Knowledge System”. Centering on the academic topic of how to construct a knowledge system, this paper compares and analyzes the construction logic and typical paths of public administration theoretical systems in European and American countries, proposing two types of paths for constructing public administration theoretical systems: “academia-led” and “practice-driven”. It also summarizes and extracts common experiences in the development and construction of public administration theoretical systems regarding practice-driven approaches, theoretical generation, interactions between academia and practice, and international dissemination. On this basis, this paper proposes specific strategies such as grounding in local practice and traditional wisdom, adopting a comparative perspective to deepen international dialogue, and strengthening academic capabilities, providing theoretical support and practical guidance for the systematic construction of China's Indigenous knowledge system in public administration.