The Political Theory of Reinvention

In this article, we examine the implications of the reinvention movement for democratic governance, broadly defined. The most basic premise of the reinvention movement is a belief that the accumulation of the narrowly defined self-interests of many individuals can adequately approximate the public interest. By narrowly defined, we mean the interests of individuals as they privately apprehend them, unmediated by participation in a process of civic discourse. To illustrate the centrality of this assumption to the implicit theory of reinvention, we consider three of its elements—its use of the market model, its emphasis on customers rather than citizens, and its glorification of entrepreneurial management. We then examine the implications of the self-interest assumption, which entails a rejection of democratic citizenship, civic engagement, and the public interest, broadly conceived.     

宪法权威与政治文明

政治文明是衡量社会进步开化程度的重要标志,作为法律权威最高表现形态的宪法权威不仅构成了法治文明的重要内容,而且是政治文明的具体体现和根本标志。提高宪法权威和推进法治文明是构建政治文明的必然要求。     

政治制度文明的要素结构

要使政治制度达到文明程度,必须研究政治制度文明的要素结构,即政治理论文明、政治规则文明、政治组织文明、政治设备文明。分析政治制度文明各构成要素类型、表现形式及达到文明的途径,并阐释各构成要素在政治制度文明中的地位和作用以及各要素之间的相互关系,对政治制度文明建设有重大理论价值。