By teasing out policies texts related to rural information service system and current conditions of information service providers, information channels, platforms, and service methods, this paper tries to define the corresponding role of different information service providers and gives policies suggestions for perfecting rural entrepreneurship information service system. China's rural-oriented information service has generally developed into a system with multiple sectors including information sectors of government, communication service provider, and social media. The information service system provides an informational platform and essential environment for rural entrepreneurship and innovation.

    This study is implemented in rural entrepreneurship policies texts analysis and field work. The former is based on attainable and opened Chinese governmental policies texts of both central and local layers, while the latter is accomplished in rural areas in Tianjin and related local information service agencies. Following tasks are accomplished: by analyzing related policies texts, content topics, narratives, and policy “metaphors” were initially extracted; based on observation and interviews, the roles that different agents and whose responses to policies have been analyzed; by examining the gap between policies and actual practice and reflecting on current policy framework along with the substantial service system, suggestions aiming at improving rural-faced information service system were put forward.

    It shows that the dominant roles of rural entrepreneurs have been verified in policy and so does the related information service. Meanwhile some policy failed to be implemented and a great gap still lies between the information need of rural entrepreneurship and the current rural information service system, and it also suggests to define the function of service providers, integrate information resources, standardize information services, and empower entrepreneur's information capability. In practical sense, it provides following suggestions: integrating related entrepreneurship information resources on the basis of the existing rural information service system and improving integrative information service and professional information mechanism; improving the service ability of more precision; clarifying the roles of government, market, social organizations and rural entrepreneurs. In the theoretical aspect, it contributes to theoretical innovation by adopting an integrative perspective that combines structural and agent elements and applying “capability approach” as a new logical start point of constructing the rural-faced entrepreneurship information service system.

    Considering that, to a large extent, the currently existing rural information service system is the result of a top-down strategy executed from central to local level, rural information service systems in different areas of China share many similarities, which makes policy suggestions more feasible and applicable in a wide national scale.

    This study combines information professional discourses and duties with national strategy tightly, and it also adopts context analysis towards policies texts and field works integrally, as well as examining the compatibility between systematic policy design and grass root practice. Research findings can shed light on academic discourse on narrowing the gap between information need and supply in the context of rural entrepreneurship information service. 1 fig. 4 tabs. 31 refs.