Chinese Context Of Service-oriented Government Construction

Together with the globalization tide and post-industrialization bandwagon, human society has been transferring from industrial civilization to post-industrial civilization since the 1980s.The globalization and post-industrialization process represent a completely new era of human civilization, in Social Changing perspective, which is indeed another revolutionary change in the process of social development. While the human society as a whole entered the stage of industrialization, almost at one time, Chinese government pursues the strategy of Reform and Opening-up. Thereafter China faces a mixed industrialization and post-industrialization mission,and then turns on Double-Transformation status. This revolutionary Double-Transformed change will absolutely cause impact and challenge to all aspects of Chinese Society, in which case,China soon embarks on restoration and reconstruction of Administration Science. Accumulate through long-term theory and practice study, Chinese scholars advanced the Serviced-oriented Government Theory and then guided Service-oriented Government construction in government at the end of the last century. Although Administrative Circle has considered "Service-oriented Government Theory" as Chinese scholars' outstanding contribution,when it comes to the question that how can China led in this study and practice, there's not systematic answer yet.This article would like to answer the question above. This study is to further systematization of"Service-oriented Government" Theory and provide theoretical references for Chinese service-oriented government construction.Theory Study is closely linked to specific historical circumstance and it is the same with Service-Oriented Government Theory. For this reason, the theory and practice study of Chinese Administrative Science must make post-industrialization guidance, despite the fact that China was still faced with the mixed industrialization and post-industrialization mission since initiation of Reform and Opening up. The problem “what kind of government should be constructed”has remained unsolved for long since the foundation of New China. Based on the experience of Chinese Reform, Chinese scholars proposed Service-oriented Government Theory according to post-industrialization trend, the problem above was then settled. Absolutely, the appearance of Service-oriented Government Theory has extremely close relationship with Chinese post-industrialization procedure, even in a sense it is a conclusion of China's post-industrial transformation. However, let' s turn to the world background that there' s no country can avoid such global wave, that is to say the post-industrialization tide mentioned above. This raises another question why the theory and practice won' t occur in any other countries? We analysis this problem in two aspects: the developed countries and developing countries.Compared with developed countries, Chinese double-transformation provides a historical advantage for Service-oriented Government theory and construction practice. We know that during the process of human social development, so-called advantages and disadvantages might exchange between different nations. Western developed countries haven ' t move to post-industrialization society until they achieved typical forms of industrial civilization. As a result, when those nations began upwards post-industrial stage, they were strongly bonded with heavy resistance from advanced industrial civilization. Since Nineteen Seventies and Eighties,western countries had been working hard on administration studies and government reform, but never really breakthrough the paradigm and framework of manage-oriented administration.What' s different about western countries, China attended the concurrent industrial and post-industrial social development, which is an important reason why China Reform wasn't interrupted by "Old Culture". In this sense, China gain a historical opportunity of seeking a post-industrial govern mode, and then advance the “Service-Oriented Government” Theory ahead of western countries.For developing countries, like China, they were in a great double-transformation period and didn' t weigh so heavy historical burden as developed ones. However, it was found that, in addition to China, other developing countries failed to build a Service-Oriented Administration Theory and Practice System. It follows that China' s double-transformation status is just a necessary condition of Service-Oriented Government System, rather than sufficient condition. In other words, there were certain hidden and unique Chinese cultural factors which lead to Service-Oriented Government Theory besides great historical advantage China gained in transformation of society.There were three main cultural aspects that affected Administration Studies and Administration Practice in China after the initiation of the Reform and Opening-up.: Chinese traditional culture, Marxist Philosophy, and Western theories.China' s traditional culture is rich in context and has a grand system. When it comes to the study of Administration in China, three parts of Chinese traditional culture are of much consequence, including Harmonious and Syncretical Thought,Humanistic Thought, and Traditional Daily life as a kind of culture.Harmonious and Syncretical Thought believes the world as a whole is an aggregation,where there are full of conflicts or in other words differences. This Thought indicates that people should integrate differences to supervise both conflicts and integrations, in order to create another new aggregation. In China, when people think about how build a proper governance model which is adapted to social development, they finally arrive at the inevitable conclusion that only a governance model having great variety and promoting cooperative governance can meet a high level of complexity and uncertainly in current China. Both Rule-oriented government and Manage-oriented government just emphasize one type of value, conflict or integration, therefore these two modes can not support Chinese ideal governance model. Instead,Harmonious and Syncretical thought applies a kind of cultural superiority for China, it provides thinking model and analytical method for China' s Service-Oriented Government Construction.Humanistic Thought is an important part of Chinese traditional culture and provides a clue how explore China's government reform in the new era. We know that Humanistic Thought originated from the ancient China and was in the service of the feudal ruling classes. During Chinese traditional society administering, Humanistic Thought was seem as an adjustment method, it was aimed at accomplishing and ensuring monarchical rule. In this sense, Humanistic Thought is a reactionary element in relation to post-industrialization of Chinese society.Although in this case we have to notice that Humanistic Thought contains relationship of"people" and "foundation". We may find out that essential relationship between "the mass" and "the foundation" is neither monarchical ruling like traditional China nor formal democracy like industrial civilization. True Humanistic Thought points to both formal and substantive "people-oriented". In a word, by deeply grasping Humanistic Thought, we can find the clue and key point for thing over government model change. Understanding Humanistic Thought plays an active role in Service-oriented government study and practice.After Reform and Opening-up, China society was divided into public domain, private domain and daily life domain. In a geographical sense, Chinese society polarized cities and countryside. Public domain is aimed at public interest, private domain is based on the principle maximizing private interest, and daily life domain defines people' s conduct by custom and ethics. From cultural perspective, daily life domain represents cultural pattern based on ethics and moralities. In rural China, a lasting “acquaintance society” exists for a long time,traditional Custom and moralities play a unique role in maintaining social order and stability, so that rural China can be purely seen as a daily life domain. In all senses, such as the space and the population, rural China occupies a larger proportion than urban areas, as a result the daily life domain in China is extremely mature even after China Reform. As been well known,Management-oriented governance mode is based on formal rationality, which implies disenchantment of value, management-oriented government is therefore widely criticized and reviled since the late modern industrial society. When Chinese scholars make a thorough inquiry about govern pattern that marches post-industrialization in China' s double-transferred society,they try to construct a new govern mode covering both formal rationality and value rationality.The cultural model based on value rationality, by which Chinese maturely daily-life domain represents, then provides realistic conditions and cultural resources for Chinese Service-oriented government research.China is a socialist state and Marxist Philosophy has been a powerful ideological weapon for Chinese. Marxist Philosophy serves as a guide to action in Chinese revolution and construction. Marxist Philosophy System consists of two parts: revolutionary philosophy which emphasizes class struggle, and totality philosophy. With the establishment of modern China,China builds a "mechanical- equalization" development pattern during socialist construction.Unfortunately, "mechanical-equalization" pattern failed to shake off China's poverty and backwardness. Due to Reform and opening to the outside world since 1978, China soon gave up previous "mechanical-equalization" mode and later established another "Gradient Development Strategy". After several decades of development, the "Gradient Development Strategy" has lift China out of poverty and backwardness, all the same increased serious inequality and disharmony in various fields of China. These inequality and disharmony factors affect further development of China. To change that, China then put forward the concept of"Scientific Development" and "Build a Harmonious Society",thoroughly condemn the"Gradient Development Strategy". Both two patterns mentioned above were guided by Marxist philosophy of revolutionary, differences between the two ones are revolutionary objectives and principles. By contrast, Marxist Philosophy of totality is regarded as the foundation for Building a Harmonious Community. As part of Harmonious Society Construction,we should promote Service-oriented government construction with the guidance of Totality Philosophy. Only thus can Chinese scholars carry out Service-oriented government studies.Apart from Chinese traditional culture and Marxist Philosophy, referential experience from Western administrative theories also contributes to Chinese Service-oriented government Theory.Research and practice of Management-oriented government spring from western countries.Although western administrative circle has been paying attention to reflections on Management-oriented government and working hard on studies and reform since post-industrialization tide, western scholars still failed to overthrow the outdated management-oriented government theory because of industrial civilization' s negative traction.But researchers shouldn' t ignore western theories' great value. On the one hand, though Service-Oriented Government considers service as the value orientation, the management value isn' t totally replaced. On the other, though western administration circle didn't break managerial frame, objectively their studies produce some luminous thoughts. That is why Chinese scholars didn't abandon nor copy administration thinking and thoughts from abroad;instead they reconstruct discourse to facilitate Service-oriented government research.In summary, the fact that research and practice of Service-Oriented Government Theory first appeared in China is closely related to Chinese Context. From macro point of view, it dues to Chinese double-transformation; on a microcosmic level, it is bound up with Chinese traditional culture, Marxist Philosophy and referential experience from Western theories.