新乡贤与有效治理:中国士绅传统再反思

New Gentry and Effective Governance:Rethinking on the Chinese Gentry Tradition

新乡贤是村庄公共事务的主导力量之一,是构造村庄社会秩序的重要力量。从家庭、家族到村庄,新乡贤通过付出与“吃亏”,将自身与更大的共同体融为一体。在治理意义上说,差序格局不是一个圈层化的自私格局,而是由不同圈层格局里的领袖所统率的圈层化的共同体格局。新乡贤代表了乡村社会共同体共享的价值观念,“以身载道”的精神是他们成为村庄“道义上的权威中心”并实现有效治理的关键原因。社会规范需要人格的支撑,有效治理并非仅仅依靠规则设计和技术治理能够实现。这也是讨论新乡贤与有效治理之关系的意义所在。

The new gentry is a powerful force in village public affairs and the establishment of village social order.The process of new gentry working and sacrificing is also the process of integrating themselves into the greater group,from family to clan and village.In the perspective of governance,the pattern of differential order is not a circled selfish pattern,but a circled community pattern ruled and maintained by leaders in circled patterns.New gentry embody the village community's shared values,and the spirit of“carrying Tao with oneself”(以身载道)is the primary reason why new gentry have become the village's“moral authority center”and achieved effective governance.The backing of personality is required for social norms,and successful governance cannot be achieved solely through rule design and technical governance,which is also the purpose of analyzing the relationship between new gentry and effective governance.