The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences recently published a book entitled The 2001 Blue Paper: An Analysis and Forecast of China's Society (2001
It appears crude for the book to draw a "small government, big society" conclusion on the basis of the streamlining of government organizations and the burgeoning economy. This model ignores the external political and economic factors that affect developing countries, relations between the state (or party) machine and private capital, and the question of how a small government interacts with a big society. Nevertheless, "small government, big society" is an idea worthy of in-depth discussion because it involves not only the future role and functions of the communist party in an open society, but also the overall restructuring of mainland Chinese society.
All-round economic development appears like another populist movement for China. Some Chinese scholars have compared the communist party's current role to the path taken by the KMT in the 1980s -- which resulted in increased political freedom and economic development. Even though every country has a slightly different model for economic development, the paths taken by Third World countries merit attention -- especially because the interaction between the state machine, local capital and foreign capital can be used to define the future role of the communist party. In the history of economic development in Third World countries, we can find two types of state machines: developmental and plundering. The former develops the nation's economy by coordinating its bureaucracy and structure, while the latter tries to monopolize resources and seek more money for a small number of privileged people.
China's economy has been growing fast in recent years and the country has become a strong magnet pulling in much foreign investment. The Communist Party has played a rather passive role in this process. The party only has an abstract concept of "development." When it comes to practical operations, the party sets up special economic zones and provides tax incentives to attract foreign investments. Rarely has it come up with development policies that play a leading role in the market. After the economic reforms began, Chinese scholars debated for some time whether the country should seek balanced development or an "overdrive strategy." The current official policy appears to be bent toward overdrive.
But such a strategy can easily be reduced to simply copying the developmental models of advanced nations. Especially, China's economic development carries a nationalist flavor -- China must have whatever the advanced nations have. This attitude overlooks the need to find out where China's advantage lies, as well as the technological gaps between China and advanced countries.
This overdrive process is like a race between a hare and a tortoise. It also makes the Chinese government unable to play a leading role in the market. In the past, Western scholars described Japan as a "company." If the Chinese government's role in the country's economic development remains unchanged, China will perhaps come to be described as a "market."
The Chinese government appears to have slimmed down after a few streamlining and readjustment programs. But the government has, in fact, become even bigger as government authority unites with private capital. As socialist values begin to change, money becomes the only standard in Chinese society.Also, one-party rule has made executive power a special niche for both central and local party officials. Last year saw the outbreak of the Yuan Hua case (
The restructuring of society will certainly give rise to more problems -- for example, disputes between Chinese labor and foreign capital, and the future of laid-off workers. There has never been an organization that can play a bridging role between government and society. Because the Chinese government has been reluctant to establish a democratic system, there are no organizations, such as political parties, through which public opinion can be voiced.
China is like an experimental laboratory, where economic growth has created a domino effect that is changing social structure and values. It will be important for the state machine to readjust its dynamics and adapt to these changes. Otherwise, "small government and big society" will become a hollow shell.
Hsu Tung-ming is a freelance writer based in Beijing.
Translated by Francis Huang
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