国家治理的信息理论:信息政治学的理论视角

Information Theory of State:The Theoretical Perspective on Politics of Information

第四次工业革命带来国家形态以及国家-社会关系的演变,驱动着国家治理的数字化转型。信息是政治学长期关注但缺乏系统理论构建的经典议题,既是现代国家构建的核心要素,更是国家治理的关键机制。本文从实体论和知识论两种国家理论入手阐明信息政治学的理论脉络,为从信息论视角理解国家构建及其运行提供理论框架。现代国家普遍存在国家内部和国家-社会间两个维度的信息过程,本文将二者整合到统一理论框架以构建国家治理的信息理论。基于国家治理的“三明治结构”,国家内部存在信息不对称、信息碎片化和控制问责等信息问题,而国家-社会间则存在信息汲取、信息开放和信息沟通等信息问题。国家信息能力是现代国家解决两个维度信息问题的基础能力,信息汲取、信息处理是信息能力生产的必备机制。作为理解国家治理的新兴理论视角,信息政治学从新要素、新机制和新方法三个意义上为理解国家治理数字化转型提供了新的理论与方法范式,凸显了信息要素和信息机制对国家治理的基础性作用。

The fourth industrial revolution has brought about an evolution in state building and state-society relations,driving the digital transformation of modern state.Information,a long-standing issue in political science but needing more systematic theoretical construction,is a core element of modern state-building and a key mechanism for state governance.This article begins with ontological and epistemological theories of the state to clarify the basis of politics of information.It provides a theoretical framework for understanding state building and its operation from a perspective of information.Modern state generally faces information problems in two dimensions:within the state,and between the state and society.This article integrates these two information processes into a unified theoretical framework to construct an information theory of state.Based on the"sandwich model"of state governance,there exist the problems such as information asymmetry,fragmentation,and accountability within the state,and the issues of information extraction,openness,and exchange between the state and society.State information capacity is the fundamental capacity to solve information problems of state governance through collecting and processing information by both administrative and community mechanisms.As an emerging theoretical perspective for understanding state governance,politics of information offers a new theoretical and methodological paradigm regarding new elements,new mechanisms,and new methods,highlighting the fundamental role of information in state building and governance.