日本市町村合并中的民主参与:经验与启示

Democratic Participation in the Merger of Towns and Villages in Japan:Experience and Enlightenment

基层建制单元调整是乡村社会结构、组织形式以及居民生活方式等方面发生的一次深刻变革。但实践中未重视农民意愿、行政化主导等原因,使其在推行过程中遇到了诸多问题。与日本的市町村合并相比,中国的合村并居存在缺乏法律规范、被动式参与、被代表式参与和参与动力不足等问题。日本市町村合并经历了由强制到自主的变化过程,居民的民主参与不断扩大,对中国走出合并困境具有重要的借鉴意义。在此基础上,我国应结合自身实际情况完善相关立法,明确合村并居过程中居民的参与权以及参与的程序、规则等内容,为居民民主参与提供法律保障。同时,合村并居还应尊重居民意愿,合理、审慎地推行“自下而上”的自主合并,并要不断扩大居民参与,使其有机会且有途径在决策和监督中表达自己的意愿。

The unit adjustment of grass-roots organizational system is a profound change in rural social structure,organizational form and resident’s life style,etc.However,due to the lack of attention to the farmers’willing and the leading of administration in practice,it has encountered many problems in the process of implementation.Compared with the merger of municipality of Japan,some problems exist in the process of village combination in China,such as lack of legal norms,passive participation,representative participation and lack of motivation,etc.The merger process of towns and villages in Japan has undergone a process from coercion to autonomy,and the residents’democratic participation has been expanding.Based on this,we should enhance the relevant legislation and clarify the residents’right of participation,the procedure and rules of participation,so as to provide legal guarantee for residents’democratic participation.We should respect the wishes of the residents,carry out“bottom-up”self-integration in a reasonable and prudent way,and expand the residents’right of participation so that they have the opportunity and means to express their views in decision-making and supervision.