利益与体制:民主选举背后的变数分析——以湖北省月村村治实验为例

Interest and the System: an Analysis of Factors behind Democratic Election

随着作为中国农村村民自治基础的民主选举崛起后，理论界出现两种倾向：一是重视民主选举形式的开发，二是从根本上否定村民自治及其民主选举。本文通过对月村村治实验中的两次村主任选举过程和结果的分析，认为：（１）现阶段农村民主选举作为一种治理方式是必要的，原始动因是农民作为利益主体的自主性增强。（２）民主选举作为权力资源配置方式，作为大众参与行为，一经启动并不一定会产生预期成果。民主选举背后有复杂的变数，其中，利益和体制最应引起重视。（３）民主选举机制有缺陷。

Abstract Along with democratic election system based on the villager self-government in the countryside rising to prominence, there have appeared two different attitudes towards it in theoretical circles. One attitude lays emphasis on the development of this form of democratic election, while the other negates this system completely. This paper, through an analysis of the process and results of two elections for the village head in the Yue Village, have drawn three conclusions. One is that democratic election as a form of governing is necessary in the present countryside. The other is that democratic election as one way of distributing resources of power and of involving villagers may not produce the expected results. The third is that the mechanism of the election is not yet perfect, but it can help shift the power in an orderly way and correct possible errors.