我国乡镇政权角色和行为的社会学研究综述

本文按照“结构 / 制度”和“过程 / 事件”两种研究取向，梳理了社会学界对1980年以来乡镇政权的角色和行为研究的成果。前者解释了乡镇政权由于考核评分体制的压力而被动产生失范行为的原因；后者以动态的、微观的研究视角分析具体事件过程中乡镇政权的行动者其角色和策略选择。“结构 / 制度”和“过程 / 事件”研究并不矛盾，可以相互借鉴。综合上述研究，文章认为对当前农村税费改革后乡镇政权在“国家”和“农村社会”新型互动关系中的角色和行为的研究也可借鉴上述研究。

A Review of the Sociological Literature on Chinese Township Governments' Roles and Behaviors

Using the two research orientations of “structure / institution” and “process / event，” this paper reviews the sociological literature on township governments’ roles and behaviors since 1980. The literature with the “structure / institution” orientation boils down to two conclusions of “pressure systems” and “operating managers” the former accounts for the township governments’ passive， improper behaviors under the pressure of the assessment and evaluation system； the latter points to the active role that township governments in the economically developed regions play to serve their own groups’ interests. A minority of researchers has followed the new “process / event” orientation to examine township governments’ active role as the actor and their policy selection in the process of an actual event. These two research orientations are not necessarily in contradiction； they can be complementary to each other. At present， special attention should be directed to researching township governments’ roles and behaviors in the new dynamic relationship between the “state” and the “rural local society” after the tax reform in 2000.