中国城市基层社会自治发展的路径——以改革开放以来城市人民调解制度的发展为例

近年来,随着国家治理体系的逐步完善,基层群众性自治获得了新的发展机遇。以改革开放以来人民调解制度的发展为例,在国家推动下,城市人民调解制度经历了重要变革:一方面,人民调解被当做司法助手、社会综合治理体系的组成部分、多元化纠纷解决机制的重要构成而逐渐被国家吸纳;另一方面,人民调解不仅在组织和功能上得到了扩张,而且在行为方式上表现为科层化发展,从而突破了地域性、群众性和自治性。通过治理吸纳自治,城市人民调解制度被纳入地方性国家科层制的框架,成为国家治理体系的组成部分。从城市人民调解制度的发展中可以看到,中国基层社会自治的发展道路既不同于随着市场经济和个人权利发展而形成的西方城市社会自治发展的市场化路径,也有别于依赖伦理道德而形成的中国传统基层自治发展的社会化路径,而是一种国家化路径。

The Path of Urban Grassroots Self-rule:Taking the Development of Urban People Mediation System as an Example

China’s urban people’s mediation system is undergoing important changes and innovation.On one hand,the people’s me-diation has been absorbed by the state as a judicial assistant,an integral part of the comprehensive social governance system,an impor-tant component of the multiple dispute resolution mechanism.On the other hand,not only the organizations and functions of have been expanded,but also the rational change of people’s mediation has been achieved.This change has broken through the regionality,mass and autonomy of the people’s mediation.People’s mediation organizations are increasingly absorbed into the framework of local state bu-reaucracy,embedded in the formal organization network of the state,and become an integral part of the national governance system.How to view this change of people’s mediation system is of great significance for understanding the change of relations between China’s state and society.