A Study On The Institutional Construction Of Deliberative Democracy In China From The Perspective Of Public Reason

Deliberative democracy is a form of democracy, which is concerning about public interest issues through civil public deliberation to reach an agreement or consensus, and make a decision or governance program. On the one hand, deliberative democracy emphasizes citizens equally take part in the process of public deliberation, considering citizens as public decision-makers and participants in public governance; deliberative democracy stresses, on the other hand, citizens follow the principles of public reason in the process of public deliberation and promote citizens to abandon self-interest and appeal to public interest to give mutually acceptable and convincing reasons that justify their decisions or claims. Public reason is a shared reason of free and equal citizens, exists in intersubjective mutual communication and discourse understanding, which can be applied for citizen subjects taking part in the political defense in both formal political process and public sphere. Public reason is pluralistic, dynamic and uncertained, and needs to seek consensus through equal participation and public debate. So, it regulates dialogue and deliberation among citizens, and encourages the public transformation of individual preferences to make a democratic decision in the public interest. Consequently, it is public reason that opens the deliberative democracy and has become the basis of its legitimacy.Since the beginning of this century, there is a popularity of "deliberative democracy craze" with the introduction of deliberative democracy theory in domestic academic circle. During this time, although deliberative democracy has received great attention due to introduce a number of representative works, public reason's arguments and analyses are still very limited. Therefore, choosing to explore the deliberative democracy in China from the perspective of public reason will have a practical significance. The perspective of public reason can not only reveal the theoretical basis of deliberative democracy, but interpret the institutional norms of deliberative democracy, and thus help construct the forms of deliberative democracy in China.The dissertation is composed of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. As for research contents and writing logics, it is made up of two parts. The first part is the theoretical analysis, including chapter one and chapter two. Mainly based on the reflection of modern representative democracy and its individual rationality, the dissertation refines the principles of public reason and norms of deliberative democracy, which have full rationalities and adaptabilities in realizing civic participation, including diverse opinions, resolving divergence of interests and promoting political democratization. The second part is the institutional construction, including chapter three and chapter four. Mainly on the basis of investigation and analysis of China's specific political structure and its embedded institutional and cultural resources, according to the theory of public reason and normative requirements of deliberative democracy, the dissertation tries hard to both realize the democratization of consultative politics, and expand new spaces of deliberative democracy in the political system and the public sphere.In terms of specific contents, the first chapter reveals that public reason opens the form of deliberative democracy by questioning the individual rationality. The prevailing representative democracy inspires the individual rationality in pursuit of self-interest. Individual rationality seeks the maximization of self-interest, which not only makes the process of public decision-making by the principle of majority rule reflects public will, but also it is impossible to ensure equality among citizens, so as to distort the essence of democracy. However, public reason generated in the public sphere appeals to public interest and emphasizes full and equal civic participation. The theory of public reason tries hard to take the place of the traditional individual rationalism, advocates that citizens take part in the deliberative process of public affairs to reach a general consensus, and also constructs a more realistic form of deliberative democracy to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of citizens.The second chapter illustrates the idea of public reason and its rationality and adaptation of public deliberation. First, the view of democracy of public reason means the substantive participation of citizens, which emphasizes public deliberation rather than public vote, and follows a better reason to reach a decision rather than win by a simple majority of votes. Second, the deliberative platform of public reason shows the structural force of inclusion, which reflects in three main aspects:general equal participation of decision-making subjects, openness and fairness of the decision-making process, and justification and reasonability of the decision-making purpose. Third, the issue of public reason points at the divergence of interests and the problem of consensus. Despite the demands of multiple interests give rise to the growing social differences, making the political consensus become a reality problem, but the model of discourse communication of public reason promotes individual preferences to a public preference, and the divergence of interests to a rational consensus. Fourth, the form of microscopic realization of deliberative democracy has the progressive democratized ability to embed in the political structure. Because it is not only a miniature form of democracy, but also a flexible form of democracy, so as to fit in political order, or develop a beneficial interaction with the political structure, and finally to promote the democratization of political life.The third chapter discusses the institutional transformation from existing consultive politics in China to deliberate democracy. Consultive politics is based on China's specific political structure and political tradition, the political form of which orients to collect public information, coordinate action objectives and strengthen the basis of public opinion. It contributes to keep the political openness, expand the public support and maintain the regime of the United Front, which has its historical progress compared to individual arbitrariness. However, there is a big gap between consultive politics and deliberate democracy in power structures, methods of discussion and results of decision-making. Deliberative democracy not only depends on public opinion, but also relates to power order; It not only depends on the expression of interest, but relates to the public interest understood and demonstrated by public reason; It not only depends on the public debate itself, but more relates to the binding force and influence of results of public debate. Based on the practical needs of China's democratic political construction, some models of exiting consultative politics have yet developed into corresponding models of deliberative democracy. Given this, the case study is intended to promote institutional transformation from political declaration of People's democracy to face-to-face civic deliberation, from investigation and interviewing of Mass Line to deliberative dialogue between officers and citizens, from advisory political consultation to decision-making deliberative democracy, from elite public decision-making to participatory democratic decision-making, and from democratic talkfest and council at will to normalized institution of deliberative democracy.The fourth chapter puts forward to open up new spaces of deliberative democratic institutions in both political system and public sphere in China. After John Rawls recognizing the possibility of developing deliberative democracy within the national system, Jiirgen Habermas and John S. Dryzek further prove that deliberative democracy may occur in national system and public sphere at different levels and areas, which provides an important academic basis for the institutional practice of deliberative democracy. Development space of deliberative democracy in China has three logical paths as follows. Firstly, it is normal to put deliberative democracy into China's current political system; Secondly, China's increasingly open public sphere contributes to the promotion and application of deliberative democracy; Thirdly, it is useful to learn from the foreign valuable institutions designed to remedy the deficiency China's institutional facilities of deliberative democracy in specific areas. At present, China's top decision-makers actively advocate the development of deliberative democracy in the whole society, striving to construct the system of deliberative democracy in accord with procedure reasonableness and operation specification. Thus, considering the perspective of practical feasibility and institutional validity, specific programme design (with charts) is intended to expand accordingly new institutional models of deliberative democracy from democratic institutionalization of People's Congress legislation, rational acceptability of judicial judgment, common vision and action plan of social organizations and citizens' identity and consensus suggestions of government science and technology policy as follows:two-track model of legislative deliberation, jury system of judicial deliberation, scenario workshop of social deliberation, and citizen conference of policy deliberation.In a word, deliberative democracy is guided by public reason. It is a democracy, also a form of governance, and more a way of public life. Developing deliberative democracy will help fully realize civic participation, enhance the quality of public decision-making, optimize the structure of public governance and promote democratization of political life. Making deliberative democracy in China work, we must make some beneficial institutional designs.