Study On The Policy Participation Of Think Tanks In China: Problems And Countermeasures

The 17th Congress of CPC has pointed out that "We encourage philosophy and social scientists to play the role of Think Tanks for the business of Party and People". The important role of Think Tanks in modern political life is self-evident, even known as the "Fourth Power." With the gradual improvement of decision-making mechanisms and governments at all levels push forward the public policy scientific and democratization process continuously, our modern sense of the Think Tank gradually developed. However, compared to Western countries, Chinese Think Tanks whether in reality development or in the theory construction of both is lagging behind. Therefore, discuss relevant issues of Think Tanks in China has its practical significance.This paper select the angle of policy participation of Think Tanks, combination three subjects of Public Management, Political Science and Sociology, and use the policy process theory, Political Science Theory and Technocratic Theory as the theoretical basis, based on the analysis to the self-development characteristics of Think Tanks in China and the basic state policy cultural environment to explore the significance, functional and ways of policy participation Chinese Think Tanks, whereby depth exploration the problems and the reasons for the cause of the problems facing by Think Tanks policy participation in China, and directed towards the analysis proposed a series of feasible countermeasures. This article is divided into five parts:The first part is the introduction, its main topic is about the causes and significance of the paper, literature review, concepts definition, theoretical principle, research approaches and framework arrangements; The second part focused on the origin, development stages and trends of Think Tank, as well as the development course, categories and status of Chinese Think Tanks; The third part has analysed the significance, functional orientation and ways of policy participation of Think Tanks in China; The fourth part has analysed the problems and the reasons for the cause of the problems facing by Chinese Think Tanks'Participation in Policy-making, this part expound mainly the internal problems of Chinese Think Tanks and the external peoblems of policy environment, and analysed several major causes of the problems facing by current China Think Tank's policy participation; The fifth part is the core of the article. This part basis on the analysis of fore part put forward a series of countermeasures. There are the external countermeasures of political environment, including the strengthening the support of national policies and laws, improve decision-making consultation mechanisms, improve the information support system and improve policy argument evaluation system; and the internal countermeasures of Think Tank itself, including improve organization and management system, improve the financing mechanisms and expansion the approaches of China Think Tank's policy participation.The main innovation is in this paper many basic problems of China Think Tank's policy participation are researched systematically, selected the angle of policy participation, based on the realities in China, and put forward a number of solutions according to the problems facing by China Think Tank. According to the characteristics of chinese thank-tanks and the needs of this research, and basic on the former research, in this paper we gives a new definition for the chinese think tank, although in the Anglo-Saxon countries the most obvious features of think tank are "independence" and "nonprofit", but for now the most Chinese think tank still does not have these feature, therefore, we will define these feature of chinese think tanks as "independent operation" and "freedom of thought". In addition, this articl did a in-depth analysis in the way which the think tanks policy participation according to the external political environment of the public decision-making consultation of china, and pointed out that if the functions of think tanks could be achieved have depends on its position in the political system, it is this restraining factors to limit the influence of chinese think tank in the policy process. Focusing on how to promote chinese policy participate and then maximum exert its basic functions, and how to construct an external guarantee mechanism for beneficial to the public decision-making process to introduce the "external-brain" of think tank to enhance the rational component of the decision-making and so on, this article from the two aspects of Chinese think tanks itself and external environment of public policy system in China and discussed the problems and corresponding solutions in the think tanks policy participate.The appearance of modern sense think tank in China has relatively late, and the theoretical research of its more later. Thought precedes action, the theory instruction practice, in order to provide theoretical basis for the development of the think tank and its function orientation and play do practical guidance, makes the related research necessary and urgent. As the means of government management and concrete embodiment of the country, public policy heavily impact the development plan of a country. Therefore, it is receiving more and more attention of scholars to the policy process theory research which is focus on building more rational public policy process. Think tank As an important organization in the policy process, from the visual angle of the theories of policy process to research in them are of great significance in theory and practice. Based on this, the article chose this perspective. However, restricted by the author's research level and the available research material, there are still many deficiencies and problems needs to be further modified and perfected.