The Study On Limited Public Participation In Government Decision-making In The Transition

Public participation is the universal activity of the public in the modern democracy system. Meanwhile it is also one of the tokens of modern democracy. It is very important for the government and public administrator to pay attention to the fact that the public participates in government decision-making. It is unrealistic and anti-objective law to ignore and obviate public participation.This article tries to analysis simply these questions about public participation in government decision-making in the transition in China based on the research fruits of public participation in Politics. By the analysis, the writer makes a conclusion that it is a limited public participation in government decision-making in China nowadays.This article is divided into five parts.Firstly, it is the brief anatomy to limited public participation in government decision-making. At first, the writer analyzes briefly"the transition period"in society. Social transition means that it is a process that the social structure and running-mechanism transform from one form into another, including the transitions of social relationship, interests-pattern, management system and management mechanism and culture. And then the article explains the connotation and content of the public participation in government decision-making. The concept of public participation in government decision-making is that the qualified citizen or group proceeding from self-interests or public interests participates in the process of government decision-making by the legitimate approaches for the sake of influencing directly or indirectly the government decision-making activities. To explain the concept of public participation in government decision-making is in order to elicit the concept of limited public participation in government decision-making. We can explain it from three aspects: 1. The extent of public participation is limited. It means that the number of people who are influenced by government decision-making is limited; 2. The capacity of the participants is limited; 3. The degree of participation is limited. It means that it is not all of the government decision-makings can be participated by the individual or the group. To put forward a concept of"limited participation"just want to affirm that public participation in government decision-making is limited participation conditioned by presently economic and social development in China.Secondly, the article mostly analyzes the sources of theories of public participation in government decision-making as well as realistic proof, and then the article discuss the development course of public participation in government decision-making. The sources of theories consist of politics theories, law theories and public administration theories. The article also argues that the CCP is the assentient of approving public participation in government decision-making. By differentiate the different development course between in China and in Western, the article further more expatiates that the public participation in government decision-making in China is limited participation.Thirdly, the article explains the realistic plights confronted by the publics participating in government decision-making. In this part, the article tries to demonstrate in detail the standpoint of"limited public participation in government decision-making". By explaining the realistic plights confronted by the publics participating in government decision-making, we can make a conclusion that the public participation in government decision-making in China is limited participation. At first, the obturation and centralization of the government decision-making institution, the idea of"the government-oriented"and lacking of the transparency baffle the passion and the activity of public participation. And then, public participation in government decision-making is short of the guarantees of definite and just laws and statutes. The third, it is difficult for the government and the public managers to identify the relevant publics who should participate in government decision-making. At the fourth, there is the unbalance of status and information between the publics and the government and among the different interest-groups. Finally, there is a problem about the cost of public participation in government decision-making. In a word, all of the factors that mentioned above result in the limited public participation in government decision-making.Fourthly, the article tries to put forward some suggestions to solve these problems which have been introduced in the third part of this article. How to construct a mechanism to achieve the proper and effective public participation? A few simple approaches to public participation are not enough. The genuine and effective public participation will be organized participation. In order to realize this objective, the public decision-maker firstly, should change their decision-making idea and improve their ability of decision-making, and then to constitute a motivity mechanism inspiriting the publics to participate in government decision-making, including attaching importance to the publics'activities participating in the government decision-making, responding in good time to the appeals for participating in government decision-making and reducing the cost of public participation in government decision-making. Third, we should constitute the mechanism to realize the balance between the government and the publics and among different groups participating in the government decision-making. Fourthly, we should guarantee the publics participating in government decision-making with various systems including public opinion response system, administrative information opening system and the system of punishing for decision-making blunder. Fifthly, we should ensure the public to hold the right to know and the right of access to the media, and realize the intercommunion between the public and the media. Finally, we should strengthen the public's consciousness of participation and cultivate the perfect civil society.The last part of the article makes a conclusion. To make sure the mechanism operating effectively, the government is the driver currently, but in the long term, the public is the true power. Our goal is the government decision is made by the public and the government together. We should know that the course of public participation in government decision-making is the course of improving and reforming government decision-making system.We may accept this fact that the public participation can not improve immediately the efficiency and the effectiveness of the public policy in China currently, but it is true that the government should be popular by advocating the public participating in the government decision-making.