The China Model: Political Meritocracy and the Limits of Democracy
Language: English
Pages: 336
ISBN: 0691166455
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Westerners tend to divide the political world into "good" democracies and "bad" authoritarian regimes. But the Chinese political model does not fit neatly in either category. Over the past three decades, China has evolved a political system that can best be described as "political meritocracy." The China Model seeks to understand the ideals and the reality of this unique political system. How do the ideals of political meritocracy set the standard for evaluating political progress (and regress) in China? How can China avoid the disadvantages of political meritocracy? And how can political meritocracy best be combined with democracy? Daniel Bell answers these questions and more.
Opening with a critique of "one person, one vote" as a way of choosing top leaders, Bell argues that Chinese-style political meritocracy can help to remedy the key flaws of electoral democracy. He discusses the advantages and pitfalls of political meritocracy, distinguishes between different ways of combining meritocracy and democracy, and argues that China has evolved a model of democratic meritocracy that is morally desirable and politically stable. Bell summarizes and evaluates the "China model"--meritocracy at the top, experimentation in the middle, and democracy at the bottom--and its implications for the rest of the world.
A timely and original book that will stir up interest and debate, The China Model looks at a political system that not only has had a long history in China, but could prove to be the most important political development of the twenty-first century.
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of view, it is imperative that China set a good example. If China were to use as much energy per capita as the United States does, it would produce carbon emissions in such volume that our planet would be condemned to unmanageable climate change. So, clearly, China must embrace an outlook that puts resource management at the center of all policy making.142 Equally clearly, China’s disastrous environmental record is cause for concern. Yet the Chinese government also seems to be taking steps in the
officials, involving decades of training and a battery of exams at different stages of their careers.13 Yet the system is still in its early stages and plagued by imperfections: officials are selected and promoted not just on the basis of ability and morality, but also (if not more so) on the basis of political loyalty, social connections, and family background (see section 3). The political system is notoriously corrupt and the practice of buying and selling posts at lower levels of government
more complex and require more collaboration. In short, there is a strong case for women in government: if the concern is to select political leaders with superior social skills, it is generally better to choose a woman.134 Yet most political leadership positions are occupied by men, especially at the higher levels. In China, the trend is going from bad to worse: as China’s most influential editor notes, “the percentage of women among the top leaders in the Chinese government, especially among
important factor in determining whether the candidate possesses the moral qualities necessary for further promotion up the chain of political command.177 But the views of subordinates and superiors should also be taken into account. Peers can be envious of talented colleagues, in which case the views of superiors (who have less reason to feel jealous) should be given some weight. And subordinates can be in a good position to observe features of moral character due to their position in the
punishing local officials who failed to provide aid to the needy.164 As paramount leader of the People’s Republic of China from 1978 to 1992, Deng Xiaoping realized that nationalism and revolutionary en- What’s Wrong with Political Meritocracy 145 ergy were not sufficient to sustain people’s faith in the CCP. In line with traditional ideas about how to win hearts and minds, the government needed to provide for the people’s material well-being. Hence, Deng embarked on market reforms meant
