考察中国宪法职能的另一种西方视角——马尔塞文和唐的宪法职能理论评述

A Distinctive Western Perspective to Review the Functions of the Chinese Constitution ——The Commentary of the Constitutional Function Theory Proposed by Henc van Maarseveen and Ger van der Tang

荷兰宪法学家马尔塞文和唐提出有别于西方主流宪法理论的经验主义宪法职能理论,认为凡是成文宪法——无论其具体内容有何差异,无论其配套制度是否完备——都履行着四项基本职能,即转化职能、信息职能、规制职能和疏通职能,成文宪法的绝大部分政治使命均已涵盖在这四项职能之中。该理论从政治发展维度上论证了后发展国家的成文宪法在"国家构建"方面发挥着较其他目标而言更为重要的作用;在实现权力制约和提升政治文明等目标方面同样也有显著建树,但与西方国家宪法履行相应职能的具体机制有明显差异。这一理论拓展了分析中国宪法职能的学术视域,对观察中国宪法实践的进展提供了全新视角。

Unlike the mainstream Western constitutional function theory, Dutch constitutional scholar Henc van Maarseveen and Ger van der Tang proposed a new theory from the perspective of empiricism. The theory tells that all written constitutions, regardless of its content or the relevant systems, have four similar functions, which are transformation, information, regulation and canalization. Furthermore,the constitutions in the developing countries play a greater role in the state-building. They also can restrict the public power and promote the political civilization, but the way to perform these two functions is different from the constitutions of the developed countries . The theory provides a new perspective in the study of the functions of Chinese Constitution.