它山之石 如何攻玉？——从公共管理视角看中国知识精英学习外国经验的心路历程

从公共管理的视角,回顾了中国100多年来,特别是最近几十年来,学习外国经验的心路历程。提出,东西方国家差别虽有,但这些差别并不足以用来论证东西方差别的本质性,也不足以支持东西方不能相互学习的结论。用东方还是西方作为思考和比较的基点,来审视国家的治理模式和社会的发展道路,不是一个合理的思维范式。过去被使用,不是因为它理论上的合理性,而是因为它的方便性和情感性。从中国近百年的历史来看,这一方便性和情感性事实上负面影响了中国对外学习的过程,因而有必要正本清源,从理论上给予修正。公共管理的学习和学科发展只有跳出了东方西方之争、最新和过去之争,用现代社会发展理论来审视和解释国家的治理和社会的发展,用科学和社会发展的态度,审视学科建设和管理实践的需要,才能最大限度地从人类文明的成果中汲取必要的养分,辅助中华文明的成长和发展。

How Can Stones from Another Mountain Be Used to Chisel the Local Jade——Issues and Problems Involved in Learning from Foreign Countries

The paper reviews the lessons and experiences of China's efforts in learning from foreign countries, particularly in the past few decades. The author argues that while differences do exist between China and western countries, they are more so in terms of extent of development than by nature. They do not support the view that the west and the east can not learn from one another. Using east and west as units of analysis for comparative studies between the governance models and the trajectories of development countries on both sides is by no means a good choice. It has been in use due mostly not to theoretical considerations but to the convenience of choice and emotions. Looking back into China's history in the past one hundred years, the convenience of choice and emotions have actually hindered China effort to learn from foreign countries, and hence, should be rectified. Public administration is a modern and a relatively new field of study in China. What is most important in its learning from outside of country is what is good and appropriate for China but not what is the newest, the most foreign, and the most popular. Only when emphases of the debate have ceased to be what is west and what east, and what is old and what is new can China's international learning significantly improve. Therefore, China's intellectual community needs to alter its existing learning paradigm and think outside of the current boxes. Examples of international learning are used to illustrate the author's point of argumentation.