The idea of commercial society in Britain was derived from the swift development of the commercial trade home and abroad. In the early times, economic thinkers shared the same idea about the importance of commercial p...The idea of commercial society in Britain was derived from the swift development of the commercial trade home and abroad. In the early times, economic thinkers shared the same idea about the importance of commercial profit, market, status and effects of businessmen, and the interests between commerce and nation. Afterwards, idea of commercial society was fully expounded in the times of classical economics, whose discussion is still of vital importance in the process of globalization.展开更多
Two distinctive paradigms have been used in researching higher education phenomena in China’s process of social transformation.The first might be described as“critical realist,”and the second as“interpretivist.”T...Two distinctive paradigms have been used in researching higher education phenomena in China’s process of social transformation.The first might be described as“critical realist,”and the second as“interpretivist.”The book Portraits of 21st Century Chinese Universities:In the Move to Mass Higher Education,has inclined toward the second paradigm and a central concept is that of“civil society.”However,the authors of this article argue that the concept of“commercial civil society”may better explain the characteristics of Chinese private higher education.Different from civil society that is based on voluntary action and contributions,commercial civil society is characterized by profit making behavior.This article focuses on analyzing the profit making features of Chinese private higher education,and thus aims to supplement the interpretivist analysis presented in the book.The authors believe that the concept of“commercial civil society”not only reflects certain features of the social environment in which Chinese private higher education operates,but may also be helpful for analyzing private higher education phenomena in other countries.展开更多
文摘The idea of commercial society in Britain was derived from the swift development of the commercial trade home and abroad. In the early times, economic thinkers shared the same idea about the importance of commercial profit, market, status and effects of businessmen, and the interests between commerce and nation. Afterwards, idea of commercial society was fully expounded in the times of classical economics, whose discussion is still of vital importance in the process of globalization.
文摘Two distinctive paradigms have been used in researching higher education phenomena in China’s process of social transformation.The first might be described as“critical realist,”and the second as“interpretivist.”The book Portraits of 21st Century Chinese Universities:In the Move to Mass Higher Education,has inclined toward the second paradigm and a central concept is that of“civil society.”However,the authors of this article argue that the concept of“commercial civil society”may better explain the characteristics of Chinese private higher education.Different from civil society that is based on voluntary action and contributions,commercial civil society is characterized by profit making behavior.This article focuses on analyzing the profit making features of Chinese private higher education,and thus aims to supplement the interpretivist analysis presented in the book.The authors believe that the concept of“commercial civil society”not only reflects certain features of the social environment in which Chinese private higher education operates,but may also be helpful for analyzing private higher education phenomena in other countries.
