Ruling Without Officials:Property Rights,Identity And Local Politics

Local politics is the cornerstone of national politics.The decisive factors of local political operation are multifaceted,such as political structures,political systems,political behaviors,bureaucratic service and so on.On this basis,the analysis perspective of Structural-behavior and the analysis perspective Institutional-behavior and etc.In-depth research on local politics from any perspective can get an effective understanding,but its explanatory power is always limited.Combining various factors and conducting meticulous observation and research can form a comprehensive and systematic understanding of local politics.This paper adopts empirical research methods,taking an aristocratic manor in Shigatse City,Tibet Autonomous Region before the democratic reform as the research object.From the perspective of local politics,it discusses the manor as a de facto unit of grass-roots political power,which does not interfere or rarely interfere with the formal local government How can effective governance be achieved without a national bureaucratic system and official group?This study is carried out along the main line of how manor,as a grass-roots political power unit,can achieve effective rule without intervention and little intervention by formal local political power,but without formal national bureaucratic system and local official groups.Based on the conferring relationship of the Manor and the Kashag Government,the manor formed its unique property right form:the owner who occupied all the manor and the serf who had nothing.In manor governance,manor owners set up property rights arrangements corresponding to social attributes according to the different needs of social governance,forming a structural property rights system.On the basis of the structural operation of property rights,the manor has formed five levels of identity system:"Manor owner-Chaiba-Duiqiao-Langsheng-Dirty Bone System".This kind of identity system is not solidified and closed,but has moderate stability and development,so that the subjects of all levels of identity can make rational choices that suit them.On the basis of the unique property rights setting and hierarchical system of the manor,a unique management system of the manor was formed,and all aspects of manor life were included in its rule.Therefore,through the establishment of a"structure-institution-behavior" analysis framework,this paper explores the internal mechanism of local political operation.The conclusions of this paper are as follows:First,the stagnant geographical environment in Tibet before the democratic reform is the social basis for the manor to form an unofficial rule.From a spatial perspective,the highly homogenous production and life paradigm and strict control measures between the manors have gradually closed and isolated the manors,forming an "atomized" social structure.From the perspective of time,in the linear history of the manor,the class of manor and serf has solidified,forming an insurmountable gap.As a result,a simple and stagnant manor society was formed,which made the objects and content of the rule simpler,and reduced the necessity of official intervention.Second,the structured property rights setting and the rational identity system are the two main reliances and measures of manor rule.On the basis of the functional property rights structure of the manor,a high degree of symmetry between the property rights unit and the governance unit was formed in the unit structure,and a high degree of integration between the formal property rights system and the informal property rights system was formed in the institutional structure.This makes the governance of property rights can replace the governance of political power to a certain extent.On the structured operation of property rights,the manor forms a complete hierarchical identity system.This kind of identity system is not solidified and closed,and it is constantly adjusting the stability and development of the manor through its "unchanged" and "dependent changes."At the same time,in this hierarchical identity system,the suppression of the authority of the manor and the rational choice of the serf tended to couple,which promoted the orderly rule of the manor.Therefore,the owner of the manor effectively rules the manor through two ways of property rights and identity.Third,the administrative manor management formed on the basis of the manor property structure and identity system is an effective substitute for the rule of state officials.Manor management involves many aspects of manor life.In the process of management,it reflects the characteristics of high systemic,mandatory and controlled national administrative rules.Therefore,the manor management actually replaced the regime rule,the manor owner and its management team played the role of grassroots bureaucrats,and finally prompted the formation and operation of the local political model of the bureaucratic rule.The rule of no bureau is not produced,and its formation has its profound social foundation and historical conditions.The separation of the state and society at the upper level and the integration of the grassroots provide social soil for its formation.The transition of political system from enfeoffment system to bureaucracy system has influenced the formation and evolution of the rule without officials.The research of Tibetan local politics before the democratic reform in this paper enlightens us to think about local governance at present.From the perspective of historical continuity,we can find that the background color of hierarchy and dependence formed in the rule of Tibetan manor society without officials continues,the background color of integrity and evenness still exists,and the selective obedience of authority hinders the current local governance and restricts the improvement of local governance level,so we should be vigilant.Retrosing history,you can also observe the formation of governance resources,such as authoritative resources,unit governance resources,and estate autonomous resources,etc.,can be effectively excavated.This is beneficial to enhance the modernization of Tibet’s governance and governance system,promote the modernization of national governance and governance system.