The Rule of Law Approach to Government Governance in China*

Chinese government governance involves the two dimensions of autonomy and co-governance. The process of moving from government management to government governance is a synchronous process of moving from government by a legal system to a “rule of law” government. Such governance coincides with the rule of law in terms of fundamental guarantees, governance frameworks, intrinsic values, external forms, goal pursuits and construction paths and lays the foundation for the realization of government governance. The multi-subject structure, multiplicity of rules and regulations, interaction of processes, diversity of modes and complexity of disputes in this form of governance place new demands on the construction of the rule of law. In response to these needs, we should improve the government’s functional orientation and the disposition of its powers by means of statute law; expand the types of administrative bodies and improve the laws on administrative organizations; enrich the sources of law; use consensus rules to improve controlling rules; be guided by interactivity in improving the administrative procedure system; normalize diversified administrative behavior; and establish multiple dispute resolution mechanisms and strengthen right relief. This will highlight the rule of law path taken by government governance. In the course of the integration and interaction of such governance with the rule of law, we will need to coordinate our responses to its latent risks, such as governance pitfalls and the limitations of the rule of law.     

改革开放以来世界城市治理法治化的进程

"世界城市"诸多指标中,法治是核心要素之一。30年来,中国已走上法治道路,其中大城市的法治建设作了重要贡献。依据世界和中国经验,世界城市的法治化应走"强政府"大社会"的路子;应创建"法治型"政府,关键是做好人权保障和权力制约;应创建"服务型"政府,将"职责"置于"职权"的优先地位。北京作为"世界城市",未来仍应十分重视法治建设。     

Transforming the Evaluation of the Rule of Law in China*

Over the past ten years, China has seen a number of practices exploring the evaluation of the rule of law. It is important that we sum up the practical experience of these evaluations, analyze the problems they encounter, determine their direction nationwide, and put forward constructive ideas. With the issuing of the Decision of the Central Committee of the CPC on Some Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening the Reform and the Decision of the Central Committee of the CPC on Promoting a Number of Major Issues of the Rule of Law, evaluation of the rule of law faces a transformation both in theory and in practice. The key points in this transformation are having the right orientation, innovative mechanisms and solutions to tricky issues of quantitative evaluation; summing up evaluation of experience; and elevating evaluation to the level of theory. A precondition for its effective evaluation is a scientific mechanism for evaluating the rule of law; in turn, the key to a scientific evaluation is solving the problems in quantitative evaluation of the rule of law; and the necessary requirements for evaluation practice are summing up evaluation experience and elevating it to the level of theory. The key to innovative mechanisms for evaluating the rule of law lies in implementation of the third party evaluation model and in quantitative evaluation that starts with particular programs.     

国际行政法之论——全球化与全球治理视野中的国际法治

国际行政法是针对跨国行政活动和国际治理中的国际行政合作关系作出的规制和调整,是在传统国际法体系中出现的一个新兴分支领域,其逻辑起点和理论根基是全球治理的提出。全球治理中善治标准的实现需要引入行政法等一系列工具,因而全球治理的提出与行政法有着与生俱来、不可分离的关联性,行政法构成全球治理的微观基础。全球治理的大部分内容可以作为行政行为来加以理解和分析,即规则制定、冲突利益间的行政裁决,以及其他形式规制性和行政性的决定和管理。目前,一个规范等级逐渐鲜明的"国际行政法"体系正在产生并逐步形成,中国应该积极参与到这一进程当中。     

法治运行的理性思考

文章以政治国家与市民社会二元化社会结构为切入点分析我国法治理论、实践应由强调法治的治国制度特性和管理、强制功能,向法治对公民个体权利的保护功能转变。通过权利主体由抽象转向具体,实现权利的物化,使法治得以实现全社会的普遍遵守。     

International Rule of Law and Rule of Law Construction in China

The rule of law has international as well as domestic attributes, so it can be divided into two levels: the domestic rule of law and the international rule of law. Using the thinking behind the international rule of law to build the rule of law in China is both necessary and inevitable. China should put into practice the idea of the international rule of law at the institutional and the governance levels, and should at the same time participate in the UN’s rule of law activities and in international rule-making, thereby extending its rule of law discourse power and influence in the international sphere.     

Rule of Law Construction and Assessment at the Local Level

Going beyond the analytical model of the holistic state in rule of law discussion, we can classify the rule of law into national and local levels based on the stages and increments of its execution. The phenomenon of the local rule of law reflects the stages and incremental progress of building a rule of law China. It has a realistic foundation in society and a profound basis in legal theory. Comprehensively advancing the rule of law in China necessitates giving encouragement and support to construction of the rule of law at the local level. The attempts and experiments of local government enable us to explore and innovate the developmental model of the socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics. The rule of law at the local level is embodied in three dimensions: “text—action—concept.” Assessment mechanisms and indicators for the local construction of the rule of law should also be established in accordance with this framework. The building of the rule of law at the local level should be synchronized with assessment of the rule of law. We need to optimize top-level design, conduct evaluations of local legislation, improve local rule of law work performance assessment and use a rule of law index to assess the local rule of law in an overall manner.     

The Role of Consultative Democracy under the Constitutional Framework and the Associated Rule of Law*

The logical sequence of China’s state governance is “governing party—consultative conferences—people’s congresses—the people.” The “governing party—consultative conferences” link in the chain involves political consultation through people’s consultative conferences. The “governing party—consultative conferences—people’s congresses” link involves a process of obtaining legitimacy for the Party’s views based on political consultations which are then translated into the national will by the system of people’s congresses. The “people’s congresses—the people” link involves the two-pronged logic of elections and governing the country according to law. The “governing party—the people” link is an illustration of the party’s mass line, which essentially involves social consultation. Consultative democracy usually includes the political consultation in the “governing party—consultative conferences” link and the social consultation in the “governing party—the people” link in the chain, both of which are connected through the system of people’s congresses. This logically determines the inner relations between the Party’s leadership, consultative democracy and the people’s congress form of representative democracy and shapes the institutionalization of consultative democracy. That is, in the process of democratic decision-making, a circular system consisting of “political consultation—legislative consultation—social consultation” is created to guide development of the actual system.     

俄罗斯的市民社会诉求与"法治国家"定位

俄罗斯"法治国家"的理论路径是与俄罗斯社会结构转型进程相回应的,并以市民社会为其逻辑起点,即认为市民社会构成了法治国家的社会基础;市民社会的自由、权利和秩序诉求提供了法治国家的价值原则;公民法律意识是法治国家的重要条件和保证.这不仅反映了俄罗斯社会结构转型条件下的法治要求和特有关怀,也反映了俄罗斯国家控制能力衰弱和市民社会"畸变"背景下的法律秩序要求.文章指出,要推进法治,不仅要推进国家和市民社会二元化进程,更重要的是确立二者良性互动关系,而不可简单移植和照搬西方.     

和谐社会语境下的互联网发展与治理

互联网的健康发展有利于加强对公权力行使的高效监督与约束,有利于促进私权利的快速发展与实现。但互联网在发展中也存在着诸如网络暴力横行,单边、不良和垃圾信息泛滥,个人信息资料遭泄露,大肆侵犯著作权,滋生网络无政府主义等问题,均不利于互联网本身的健康发展与社会和谐,因而有必要加强对互联网的治理。而互联网治理的基本路径可以概括为政府与民间互动,全球国际组织与主权国家协作,技术手段与规范手段并举,全方位、多角度、多层次治理。     

International Rule of Law and Methodological Innovation

The practice of the international rule of law needs a theoretical guide, and the formulation of the theory of international law has to depend upon practice, which imposes new requirement upon the methodology of international law. Traditional research into legal doctrine is unfavorable to the creative exertion of international jurisprudence, and the research methods of social sciences are playing an increasingly important role in the methodological innovation of international law. From the perspective of promotion of the international rule of law, the study of international law needs to deep research a State’s motives, cause and innate logic in observing international aw, and law and economics can show its capability in this field. For the international rule of law, basic research needs to be carried about such social surroundings as where the rules are produced and applied and exerting influences. The research method of the sociology of law exactly hits the point. The application of empirical and experimental research methods offers a beforehand “rehearsal” chance for the process of the rule of law to grasp the pros and cons in the planning and practice of the rule of law. The cooperation between the research methods of social science and the traditional research method of international law can reasonably interpret the phenomena of international relations and promote the international rule of law.     

法制下法治与法治下法制

法制下法治和法治下法制是两种不同的社会存在。法制下法治之治理主体单一,法治下法制治理主体多元;法制下法治依赖国家法正义观支持,法治下法制依赖多维正义观支持;法制下法治以人为治理客体,法治下法制则以人和法律同为治理客体。在特定历史阶段,法制下法治曾经起过积极的作用;但是随着社会发展,民主勃兴和社会转型的逐步推进,法制下法治已经成为中国法制建设的瓶颈,应为法治下法制的理论和实践所突破。法治下法制是多元法律规则并存于社会与依法办事之法治原则的结晶。通过各种法规则的冲突、互动和整合,法治自然会从理想走向现实。     

The Chinese Expression of the International Rule of Law

The Chinese expression of the direction and progress of the international rule of law is an important part of showcasing China’s stand and ideas in international relations, and serves as a major interactive link between the Chinese rule of law and the international rule of law. The progress of the international rule of law rests on the active, full and effective expression of various countries including China, so that it can become more just and rational. In order to express itself explicitly and effectively, China needs to participate actively in the practices of international rule of law, in a bid to expand its horizon, enlist public support, and obtain opportunities.     

传统法律文化与法治现代化的对接路径

中国传统法律文化与现代法治精神对接之间存在困境,困境的形成主要由于传统法律文化具有重法制轻法治、重集体轻个人、重和合轻冲突、重德(礼)轻刑(法)等特点,并长久以来影响着人们的思想和观念,与现代法治精神相冲突。困境的消解,不能靠简单地移植西方法律,也不能仅依赖于本土资源自生,而应该通过以下几条路径:1)培植现代法律意识,去除“人治”观念,培育起真正的“法治”观念,形成民主、平等的共识;2)建构市民社会,激活契约精神;3)在立法环节上完善现代法治的同时,推进司法制度改革,加快司法现代化的进程。通过这些路径和步骤,推进法制现代化,构建中国特色的现代法治。     

How to Evaluate Government Performance while Building a Rule of Law Government in China*

Building a law-based government is a central element of the comprehensive framework for promoting the rule of law in China, while using evaluation to catalyze growth is in line with the incentive principle of management studies. Since China started to implement reform and opening up over thirty years ago, rule of law development and organizational evaluation have gone through several stages, each with different characteristics. Efforts to build a law-based government have met with success, but what the country now has is essentially still goal-oriented assessment. At present, this suffers from the lack of a clear goal orientation or definition of functions, an imperfect technical system and unsound motivation mechanisms, not to mention the practical problems of each government department going its own way, duplicating evaluations or being left rudderless. Drawing on a combination of value rationality and instrumental rationality and using government performance evaluation to promote the building of a law-based government not only conforms to the spirit of the rule of law and value rationality in government performance, but also strengthens the role of evaluation as an instrument for organizational management. Therefore, we need to create new evaluation theories, expand public participation, introducing diversified evaluating entities, improve technical systems, strengthen institutional buildup, and foster a performance-based culture. In addition, replacing goal-oriented assessment with performance evaluation will help the emergence of a new discipline—the performance evaluation of rule of law government, thus promoting multidisciplinary efforts to integrate and create new public administration theories in China.     

自由的两种含义及其对法治的意义

古典自由主义时期 ,自然自由和社会自由的分类已经被明确提出。自然自由是天赋的、与生俱来的自由 ,自然自由强调自由的平等性 ;社会自由是经过理性妥协和制度限制的自由 ,社会自由强调自由的权利性。从自然自由到社会自由就是使自由由价值形态转变为权利存在 ,这个进步在人类自由史上具有里程碑意义。明确自然自由和社会自由的不同含义 ,对于法治具有重要意义 :以价值形态的自然自由为出发点 ,以权利存在的社会自由为制度核心 ,能够造就法治传统 ;宪法是自由的宣言书 ,自然自由体现为价值预设 ,社会自由表现为权利安排 ;自由既是目的 ,又是手段 ,法律制度对自由的限制应具有正当性和适宜度     

试论培植当代中国法治文化的基点和路径

市场经济、民主政治和法治文化是实现法治的基础性条件。中外法治的实践充分表明,法治文化作为社会文化的重要组成部分,存在着不同的培植、生成模式。如何立足于我国国情、传统与民情,培育出既符合法治的共性,同时又具有中国特色的法治文化是建设中国特色社会主义法治的现实性课题。     

法治的实质:自由与秩序的动态平衡

人是自由的存在物 ,也是遵循规则的存在物。自由和秩序的需求源于人类本性 ,人的个体性彰显为自由 ,人的社会性体现为秩序。法治是法律运行良好的“法大于权”的生活方式 ,法治的核心价值是自由 ,法治的基础价值是秩序。法治的自由与秩序价值难以在静态中达到平衡 ,法治的实质是寻求自由与秩序的动态平衡     

Charity Law in England An Overview

Charities have existed as a legal form of organization in England for over 400 years. This paper provides an overview of charity law and regulation in England from a non-legal perspective. It examines the principles underpinning charity law; the role of the charity regulator; and some of the recent changes contained in the Charities Act 2006.     

西欧的"独特性"、"东方专制主义"与近代法治

文章认为,法治的生成和发展是与国家和市民社会关系紧密相关的,而国家和市民社会关系在东西方却具有不同的演进路径.即在西方呈现的是国家与市民社会相复合(古希腊)--国家对市民社会的监护(古罗马)--国家吞并市民社会(西欧中世纪)--市民社会与国家的二元分立和抗衡(近代资本主义).这种发展路径造成了多元文化和权利抗衡国家权力的西欧"独特性",并促动了近代法治的生成.而古中国及东方国家则一直处于国家吞并市民社会状态,形成了扼制权利和自由的"东方专制主义",法治便无以产生.这启示我们,中国要走向法治,就不应仅满足于法律制度的植入和法律体系的建构,也不应满足于民主政治、市场经济和理性文化这种"法治基础和条件"的一般性解说,而应着力建立国家和市民社会的良性互动关系,这才是问题的关键.