协商民主理论与中国民主政治发展

On Theory of Deliberative Democracy and Development of Democratic Politics in China

从"结构—功能主义"视角来看,协商民主理论对于中国民主政治发展具有积极的推动作用:首先它能推进政治结构分化,提升政治主体能力;其次是扩大公民有序参与,再造政治运行过程;再次是有利于提升公共政策理性,推动政治关系和谐。与之相应,协商民主理论对中国政治发展也存在至少三个漏洞:在结构上,可能被借用为政府扩张的动因;在过程上,可能被稀释为无果而终的对话;在政策上,异质为"强势集团"为自身争取政策利益的"白手套"。要发挥协商民主理论对政治发展的促进作用,需要做到:盘活体制内的政治存量,提高政治主体协商职能,培育公民社会,促进社会协商"结构增长";通过"赋理协商"和"赋权协商",实现利益有效表达与利益综合的有效衔接;开放媒体和社会监督,建立健全协商制度程序。现实情况下,政治过程的各个环节中浸润协商理念比单纯地追求协商实践形式更加重要。

From the perspective of structural functionalism, the theory of ＂deliberative democracy＂ has positive influence on the development of Chinese democratic politics. First, it promotes political structural differentiation and raises the capability of political subjects. Second, it helps to increase orderly civic participation and recreates the governmental process; Third, it is conducive to raise policy rationality of the public and pushes forward harmonious political relationships. However,the theory has at least three potential defects. At the structural level, it might be used as an excuse for governmental expansion; at the process level, it might lead to fruitless dialogues; at the policy level, it might be dissimulated as black box for the strong groups to persue their own interests. To make good use of the theory for Chinese politics, we should integrate the political stock within the system to raise the deliberative function of the political subjects, cultivate the civic society and to promote structural growth of social deliberatiion; Secondly, we should realize effective interest articulation and interest aggregation through ＂enrationalized deliberation＂ and ＂enpowered deliberation＂; Thirdly, we should secure the supervision of the media and society in order to establish sound institutional procedurs for deliberation. Under the current condition, it is more crucial to ensure deliberation in all steps of the political process than merely pursue formal deliberation.