普通人的“国家”理论

A Common People's Theory of the State in Contemporary China

20世纪80年代以来,中国学界和政府提倡国家和社会之间的分化,视"社会"的发育为改善民生的结构性条件。但在普通人看来,"国家"依然是最受认同的范畴,而"社会上的"人和事则意味着不正规和不可靠。同时,在普通人眼里,国家总体上的正当性不可置疑,具有高度的道德性,但是地方国家机构则不可信任,与它们的交往倾向于利益化、无规则。这一"普通人的国家理论"在一定程度上解释了当前中国社会"总体稳定"和"具体失范"并存的现象。本文由此认为,追求社会和国家之间的分化在现阶段缺乏基础,更重要的是重构彼此之间在多个层面上的有机联系。

Academics and policy makers in China have sought to develop a relatively autonomous ＂society＂ as a main goal of the reform since 1980s. Most Chinese people, however, hold that it is much more empowering to develop connections with guojia （the state） than being independent from it, and see shehui （the society） unreliable or even unruly. The state as a total imaginary is deeply moralized and enjoys unquestionable legitimacy, but local authorities are regarded as untrustworthy and alienating. This partially explains why China remains stable on the whole when localities experience high levels of instability. This article analyzes the characteristics, the historical formation, and the current political economy basis of common people＇s theory on guojia. The author suggests that an independent civil society based on state-society divide may be hard to achieve in the near future, and priority should instead be given to developing organic connections between the state and the increasingly diverse social life at different levels.