基层信访工作中的“开口子”:信访困局的郁结与疏解

“Kai Kouzi”in the complain-affairs work in China: Entanglement in the complain-affairs work in China and its disentanglement

"开口子"是当下基层信访工作的常规做法,系指基层政府在法律、政策允许的范围以外给信访人额外的经济好处。既有研究难以全面给出解释与回应。在国家与社会关系的理论进路中,信访困局在"开口子"这一切面上,呈现出多面向的复杂性。基于基层信访的经验调查,可将其划分为"关怀"式开口子、"妥协"式开口子和"出血"式开口子。这三类"开口子"遵循着完全不同的行动逻辑,并反映出中央政府、基层政府和地方社会迥异的态度与偏好。信访中大量的"开口子",代表了基层政府面对信访者的相对弱势,说明在中国这样一个典型的"强国家"中,依然有制度能力衰弱的部分。通过对影响"开口子"重要因素的分析,应当适时进行微调,最终追求基层政府与信访者相互约束的"均势",恢复信访制度的本源,保持国家与社会的良性沟通。

'Kai Kouzi'is a popular practice of the grassroots organizations involved in the complain- affairs work in China,which refers to the illegal additional economic benefits to the complainants given by the grassroots governments,and the previous studies in this field are inadequate. In view of the theory of the relations between the state and the social relations,the problems of such complain- affairs work are quite complicated. Based on the experience and investigation of the grassroots complain- affairs work,'Kai Kouzi'falls into three categories: 'care- type', ' compromise- type'and 'great favorable- type'. The three types follow completely different kinds of action logic,and reflect the different attitudes and preferences of the central government,the grassroots governments and the local society. The vast amount of 'Kai Kouzi'in our complain- affairs work reveals the fact that compared with the complainants the grassroots government is in a relatively inferior position,a reflection of the institutional weakness. Through the analysis of the key factors affecting 'Kai Kouzi',it is suggested that timely fine- tune should be implemented in order to achieve an equilibrium between the grassroots governments and the complainants,and to ensure the smooth operation of the complain- affairs work and the good communication between the society and the government.