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Johnson County Community College Title VI Grant The Question of Democracy in China

Johnson County Community College Title VI Grant The Question of Democracy in China. The State “In its sovereign form, and independent political-administrative unit that successfully claims the allegiance of a given population exercises a monopoly on the legitimate use of coercive force

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Johnson County Community College Title VI Grant The Question of Democracy in China

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  1. Johnson County Community College Title VI Grant The Question of Democracy in China

  2. The State • “In its sovereign form, and independent political-administrative unit that successfully • claims the allegiance of a given population • exercises a monopoly on the legitimate use of coercive force • controls the territory inhabited by its citizens or subjects.” • Thomas Magstadt

  3. China’s Tiered Administrative Structure

  4. Chinese governing structure BBC How China is Ruled http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2012-11-05/far-more-important-election-part-1-chinas-political-process

  5. Challenges for the State: • Today’s leaders are vested in staying in power • They need to have stability, especially in the face of rapid development • They also have the responsibility of thousands of years on their shoulders as the rest of the world scrutinizes China in an historically unprecedented manner • One Solution: • Weiwen (maintaining stability)

  6. Some Problems for the Citizens: • Weak rule of law • Censored information flow • Some government officials working with developers taking land without any sort of process • Corruption • Increasing wage disparity • Pollution

  7. The State • “In its sovereign form, and independent political-administrative unit that successfully • claims the allegiance of a given population • exercises a monopoly on the legitimate use of coercive force • controls the territory inhabited by its citizens or subjects.” • Thomas Magstadt

  8. Whose Democracy? “A government held together by the bands of reason only, requires much compromise of opinion; that things even salutary should not be crammed down the throats of dissenting brethren, especially when they may be put into a form to be willingly swallowed, and that a great deal of indulgence is necessary to strengthen habits of harmony and fraternity.” THOMAS JEFFERSON, letter to Edward Livingston, Apr. 4, 1824 “The marks of a democratic government should be transparency, a response to popular will, and a scientific approach.” Controversial 1988 CCTV program criticizing the imperial era (and by extension the Mao era) Feedback Loops !

  9. Feedback Loops Governmental System of Citizens’ Direct Participation Includes: Social consultation and dialogue Writing letters and petitions (xin fang) Workers and staff congress (at work committees) Mass autonomy in bottom-level areas (local committees) Ballot voting at the village level (soon at the urban neighborhood level)

  10. Feedback Loops Informal Feedback Loops between Citizens and the Government: Media and internet Muckraking Street protests (has a long cultural history in China) NGO and GONGO activity Individual government agencies’ websites informing the public and seeking their opinions

  11. Democracy is Messy: “Democracy is the art of running the circus from the monkey cage” H.L. Menken But We’re in this Together: “Democracy's worst fault is that its leaders are likely to reflect the faults and virtues of their constituents.” ROBERT A. HEINLEIN, Stranger in a Strange Land

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