Economic Development and the Implementation of Village Elections in Rural China

Based on survey data from rural Fujian Province of China, this paper shows that economic development, especially village collective revenue, plays an important role in village elections. With economic development and industrialization, collective revenues will increase and differentiated interests will develop among villagers. Village elections are institutional channels for villagers to articulate their interests. The research findings show that it is the collective revenue and the relative living standard of the village compared with other townships within the same county or district that arouse villagers' interests for participation and candidates' motives for campaigning, and thus enhance the implementation of elections. The paper concludes that village-level economic development is crucial for the implementation of competitive elections. With economic development, village committees will control more collective revenues, thus increasing the stakes villagers have in elections. This will result in greater participation by villagers in elections, and in more competitive elections. Increased competitiveness of elections will facilitate changes in the institutions regarding village committee elections.     

论民主监督功能对我国民主党派存续与发展的重要价值

在现代宪政与政党制度的规范和惯例下,政党在国家政治的日常运行中,发挥着重要的功能。在我国非竞争性的政党制度中,无论是从历史维度、现实维度还是理论维度来看,都需要充分发挥各民主党派对中国共产党的民主监督功能来体现民主党派作为现代政党的政治价值,从而达到促使中国共产党立党为公、执政为民和实现民主党派自身发展的双重目的。     

党内民主选举中存在的问题及其对策

目前,党内民主选举中存在着候选人的确定不能充分反映大多数选举人的意志,选举的竞争性不强,对选举结果不够尊重,以票取人面临着困惑等问题。完善党内民主选举,要正确认识民主选举的双重性质,大胆借鉴人类创造的反映民主选举规律的有益做法,有领导、有步骤地推行公开竞争型选举,完善党内民主选举机制。     

论普世价值与中国民主政治建设

＂民主、法治＂等普世价值的实践给改革开放与经济发展提供了有力保障,推进了中国民主政治建设。中国社会主义民主政治建设取得许多重大进展。社会主义民主的制度化、规范化和程序化日趋健全,社会主义法治国家基本实现;共产党发展成为一个开放性政党,标志着阶级革命党到国家执政党的转变。面对当前仇富与丑官一系列新问题与新挑战,中国政府应加大践行＂民主、法制、人权＂等普世价值的力度,积极扩大人民民主,还应利用大众传媒努力培育民主政治文化,造就现代公民。     

中国农村民主政治建设的基本走向--以秭归县农村民主政治建设为例

税费改革以后,农村的民主政治建设越来越被社会广泛关注。秭归县在农村基层民主政治建设方面作了一些非常有益的研究和探索,以充分调动广大农民和农村基层干部的积极性创造性为出发点,以农村基础设施不断改善和农民增加收入为根本目的,收到了非常好的效果,使秭归农村呈现出一种前所未有的政治、经济、文化、社会协调快速健康发展的良好态势,特别是在农村税费改革以来,探索出的农村社区建设更是显现出它的蓬勃生机和旺盛的生命力,对秭归农村未来的发展产生了深远的影响,成为我国新时期农村改革的基本思路。     

深化农村改革为农业和农村经济发展提供动力支撑

“三农”问题几乎综合概括了中国一切问题,但从本质上说,农民问题是个权利问题,农业问题是个效率问题,农村问题是个就业问题,其深刻的历史根源和社会根源是制度安排和体制问题。     

民主党派政治交接与中国政治发展

民主党派政治交接是实现当代中国政党制度民主化、制度化、规范化、程序化的重要方面。政治交接是参政党组织建设的灵魂。通过薪火相传的政治交接,参政党的人事结构发生变化,这是适应中国政治发展的内在需要。     

中国农村发展与农村土地制度改革

农村土地制度改革是城镇化与农业现代化发展的客观要求。该文通过深入分析中国城镇化过程中的城乡土地利用格局,阐述了古今中外农村土地制度设计的基本原则,提出应有限度地放开农村土地市场,以满足利用市场机制有效配置土地资源的要求,但必须以保障农地生产功能为前提,严格防止土地过度资本化可能带来的弊端。     

Approaches to Women and Development in Rural China

In this paper I analyze the language and concepts framing approaches taken by the Chinese women's movement to women and rural development. Until the late 1990s the language adopted by Chinese women's organizations concerned with rural development was quite different from that of development agencies elsewhere, but since that time it has become increasingly similar. In this paper I ask: to what extent did the earlier language of Chinese women's development activists point to understandings and practices that were different from those of the global development movement? And what might be the significance of the growing convergence between the two?     

China to Boost Economic,Social Development in Tibetan Regions

China＇s State Council held an executive meeting on Oct. 15, 2008, discussing how to support development in the Tibetan regions of Qinghai, Sichuan, Yunnan and Gansu provinces. Tibetan regions in these areas are autonomous where Tibetans and people of other nationalities live together. The regions are the important plateau ecological bar- rier that cover the head-stream area of major rivers, such as the Yellow, Yangtze and Lancang.     

China Urges Fair Play in Village Elections

China＇s central authorities issued a circular in Beijing on May 30, 2009, urging candidates to practice fair play in direct elections of village heads amid complaints of bribery and other dirty tricks to win votes. It was jointly issued by the General Office of the State Council and the General Office of the Communist Party of China （CPC） Central Committee.     

浙江农村改革与中国农村发展

一、浙江农村改革的基本经验 改革开放以来,浙江农村经济总量和农民收入增加幅度在全国一直名列前茅。1997年以来,全国农民收入增幅连续4年下降,浙江却持续4年上升,浙江农民人均收入水平已跃居全国各省区     

农村合作经济组织发展的思考

农村合作经济组织的发展在我国存在着起步慢、规模小等现实问题,而在国外却有了多年的历史,积累了大量的经验。学习、借鉴国外国家发展的经验,对指导我国农村合作经济组织的发展有着十分重要的意义。     

农业保险:农村经济发展的保障

现代农业随着自然风险、社会风险、经济风险的威胁,这些风险的存在和发生,严重地影响着农业的可持续发展.建立北京的农业保险机制,对保障农业再生产的顺利进行,推动北京农业的可持续发展具有重要的理论意义和现实意义.     

Direct Township Elections in China: latest developments and prospects

The first direct election of township government leader was held in Sichuan Province in 1998, following a decade of direct elections at the village level. There have since been experiments with four categories of elections at the township level: direct elections of government leader, deputies to the People's Congress, Party Secretary, and deputies to the Party Congress. Various indirect methods under different terms have also been introduced, which invariably increase the more active participation of ordinary voters. The assessments of these elections vary from total negation, serious doubts to enthusiastic praise. Suggestions for improvement focus on lowering the qualifications of candidates and allowing campaigning by candidates themselves. Following the latest amendment to the Constitution that extends the term of office of the township government from three years to five, four options for further reform are available. Except for one option, direct elections are proposed or at least possible.     

抗日战争与中国的民主运动

抗日战争是中国近代以来第一次取得对外反侵略战争完全胜利的战争.     

试论民主党派核心价值观与社会主义核心价值体系的内在关系

民主党派核心价值观是社会主义核心价值体系的重要组成部分,构建民主党派核心价值观是民主党派践行社会主义核心价值体系的前提和基础.民主党派核心价值观的精神支柱、核心理念、价值原则和价值取向与社会主义核心价值体系具有本质上的一致性.因此,应在社会主义核心价值体系的引领下,培育民主党派核心价值观.     

中国经济转型与民族地区经济发展

转型经济学不只是指出转型的方向,更要分析转型的成本,寻求最低成本最小摩擦的转型,即在发展、和谐、合作中实现转型.中国正处于一个从计划经济到市场经济、初级市场经济到现代市场经济的转型关键期;目前改革领域正深入到政治、文化、教育等领域;改革的阻力进一步增强.中国少数民族地区经济发展及经济转型有其特殊性和复杂性.应该加强对宗教信仰的管理和引导,大力选拔和培养民族干部,大力发展非国有经济.     

The 2001 Legislative Assembly Elections and Political Development in Macau

The objective of this article is to analyze the major trends in post-1999 Macau's political development as evidenced by the evolving role of its legislature as well as the 2001 legislative elections. The article argues that (1) the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) political system, thanks to the constitutional design of its Basic Law and the political convention inherited from the former Portuguese administration, is dominated by the executive branch of power or an ‘executive-led’ system; (2) the dramatic win by the Association for New Democratic Macau in the direct elections does not suggest a breakthrough in Macau's democratization process because altogether the pro-democracy groups won less than one-third of the total votes; (3) Macau is ruled by a conservative pro-Beijing power elite comprising prominent local businesspeople and leaders of the labour unions and neighbourhood associations; and (4) a new political convention that the MSAR government, though not popularly elected, is accountable to the Macau citizens seems to be emerging. In any event, democratization in Macau is likely to be a very long and gradual process.     

改革开放以来农村民主政治发展的动力源分析

就中国农村民主政治发展的动力而言,离不开三种力量的推动,首先,是村民基于利益诉求和权利维护基础之上的政治参与实践的推动,农村经济社会变迁为公众的民主参与提供了需求和动力,也提供了能力和空间;其次,是各级政治体系为适应现阶段农村农民日益增长的参政需求而做出的相应法律政策的调整和改革,并借助一些政策推动和法律规则的出台,扮演了主要领导者和重要推动者的角色;再次,学者在解读国家政策的基础上,立足于对村野的调查和研究,扮演了各种发展模式的总结者和国家政策的积极传播者的角色。农村民主政治正是在这诸多的动力推动下走了一条中国式的农村基层民主政治发展之路。