Abstract: This piece serves as a response to the comments on my paper “Administrative Subcontract” made by Zhou Xueguang，Zhang Jing，Cao Zhenghan，and Feng Shizheng. My reply focuses both on their critical comments and suggestions. Our differences center on such issues as the definition，content，and causes of administrative subcontract system，the definition and implications of ruling risks，and authority allocation between the principal and the agent. In the reply I try to clarify the confusions and explain the reasons why we differ in these matters and indicate my stance. Following the commentators’ critical comments and suggestions，I also discuss the possibilities and directions for further  improvement of the administrative subcontract theory. In the  conclusion，I propose three criteria for a good theory and highlight the importance of interdisciplinary academic exchange and interaction in developing a good theory.

Key words: administrative subcontract ,  government governance , bureaucracy , political tournament