治理研究：正本清源

A Study of Governance: Etymological Clarification

近年来,"治理"一词被广泛运用,其具体含义却少有人深究。通过梳理大量相关文献,本文回溯了"治理"的词源,对其进行了谱系分析,并追问公共管理领域到底是否出现了所谓范式转换。作者认为,过去二三十年主流治理研究基本上是宣扬一种规范性主张,即新自由主义的主张,没有什么扎实的实证性根基,只是一个"空洞的能指",其大行其道的秘密恰恰是因为基本概念含糊不清。然而,"治理"这一概念不应被完全抛弃,而是应当回归本源,形成自己的话语体系。

In recent years,the term"governance"has been widely used,but its precise meaning is seldom examined. By reviewing a large body of related literature,this essay traces the etymology of the term"governance"and conducts a pedigree analysis of it,with a view to finding out whether there really is a so-called paradigm shift in the field of public administration. The author holds to the view that,in the past two or three decades,the mainstream governance literature basically advocated a normative stance,i.e.,the neoliberalism stance. This stance has no solid empirical foundation but is merely a"hollow signifier,"and the secret of its prevalence lies exactly in its ambiguity. That said,the concept of"governance"should not be completely abandoned. Instead,it should return to its origin and develop its own discourse system.