While this may appear at odds with the idea that democracies punish leaders who lose. View pdf flyer about biographical note yu keping, ph. Reiss professor of constitutional law, new york university school of law. That important essay appears here, along with several of yu keping s other influential works on politics, culture, and civil society. Good question, and its really easily answered now in the middle of the iraq war. Democracy is a government by the people, for the people and of the people. Yu keping s democracy is a good thing by detailing the effects of globalization on chinas governance and by providing a critical overview of the current capacities of chinas public sectors and of the challenges posed by globalization.
Development and limitations, china leadership monitor, winter 2010, at 49. For a fullscale defense of intraparty democracy from an insider, see yu keping, democracy is a good thing. Accountability is a popular idea, though for political scientists it can sometimes. This is true not only for individuals or certain officials, but also for the entire nation and for all of the people of china. Rather, they believe that the many challenges facing the regime makes it fragile. The pdf is available for free on and has been downloaded more then 900,000 times. This is true not only for individuals or certain officials but also for the entire nation and for all the people of china simply put, for those officials who care more about their own interests than about the national interest, democracy is not a good thing. Democracy is a good thing, and this is not just for speci. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Democracy is a good thing created a stir internationally. Interview with leanne brown, author of good and cheap. So begins yu keping s seminal essay that is the inspiration for the title of this compilation of his most important essays. Class attendance and participation, as well as improvement over the semester, will be taken into account in determining the final grade. Politics, like all of life, is about individuals, each motivated to do what is good for them, not what is good for others.
Young chinese people may just not be that into western. The politics of china the chinese state and the policy process an examination of various actors involved in the chinese political structure and policy making at. The importance of democracy lies in the fact, that currently there are 123 democratic nations in a world of 192 countries. To the best of my knowledge, it was the first empirical study. Also countries should encourage participation by teaching children about civics and politics from an early age to increse enthusiasm.
How western business canand shouldinfluence social and political change in the coming decade. Top 10 reasons why democracy is best for any country. Yu keping, a prominent chinese political scholar, recently released a book titled democratic governance and political reform in china. The answer to the question is democracy a good thing is, i think, an ethical society is a good thing and to the extent that democracy fosters that it is a good thing too but to the extent that it does not it is not. Simply put, for those officials who care more about their own interests, democracy is not only not a good thing. Democracy is the best form of government debatewise. Democracy is a good thing joseph fewsmith over the past several months there has been a vigorous discussion about democracy in china. The central thing i learned was that reformism was a rational strategy for workers.
Some of this discussion has been undertaken by wellconnected, policyoriented intellectuals, while other parts of the discussion have been conducted by liberal intellectuals who appear to have little policy impact. It is the touchstone of this important volume of the same name. Yu keping, made a splash with his essay democracy is a good thing. In addition to his academic work he has also acted as an advisor on political reforms to the chinese government. The urban democracy lab spoke with leanne to discuss her thoughts on food justice, snap, and the future of good and cheap. This is true not only for individuals or certain officials but also for the entire nation and for all the people of china. A call for minor reform, not radical change scott kennedy. Interviews the presss role as a watchdog on government.
Democracy is a goo d thing created a stir internationally. It is worth noting that such an outcome is perfectly in keeping with fortnas results. Whoever wins the forthcoming general election, we are about to be ushered into. The way our schools and businesses are run, how we travel and make a living, even how we see ourselves it all depends on political decisions. As one of chinas foremost political thinkers and a leading proponent of democratizing the peoples republic. So begins democracy is a good thing, an essay of great influence that has commanded attention and provoked discussion throughout the world.
Empire by niall ferguson in niall fergusons new book, the british empire was a good thing for everybody and the american empire now being born. Thornton, cheng li published by brookings institution press keping, yu, et al. In other words democracy is a system which gives power to each and every citizen to actively participate in the government of the country. Democracy is a good thing democracy is not perfect, but the system with the fewest flaws. In greek demos means the community and kratos means sovereign power i. Democracy is a good thing in late december, yu keping, deputy director of the central compilation and translation bureau and head of the center for chinese government innovations at beijing university, published an article, democracy is a good thing, in the paper of the central party school. True democracy in my opinion is the best form of government, the trouble is a lot of so called democracies use a first post the post system which rarely gives a result reletive to what was voted for. The first volume of the series, democracy is a good thing, introduced the works of the political theorist yu keping. Consequently, people of a traditionalist chinese perspective tend to believe that the collective good of the people is underrepresented in a democracy, which instead reflects majoritarianism.
Religious leadership, civil discourse and democracy in the. The seminar examines this debate while delving into china more deeply to consider those variables that challenge the regime. Democracy and collective decision making oxford academic. In late december, yu keping, deputy director of the central compilation and translation. In the modern world, democracy has developed from the american and french revolutions. Pause for thought before we plug in to digital britain. That important essay appears here, along with several of yu keping s other influential works on. While the authors acknowledge they offer a cynicalbut accurateview of politics, they conclude that once we understand what brings leaders to power and keeps them there, we will also begin to see how to fix politics. In addition, you will undoubtedly feel that the course does not cover specific topics that you feel should be covered. Taylor and others published yu keping, democracy is a good thing. Essays on politics, society, and culture in contemporary china the thornton center chinese thinkers series keping, yu, li, cheng, thornton, john l. But its only keeping up, its not the same as doing systematic. Democracy is a goo d thing, and this is not just for specific persons or certain officials. The present book collects the forceful ideas of my fellow tsinghua university faculty member hu angang, whose influence on chinese thinking in the.
Some chinese scholars argue that neoauthoritarianism is a necessary stage as china transits from a traditional autocracy to liberal democracy. Another frequently cited argument against democracy in china relates to the importance of the family. Religious leadership, civil discourse and democracy in the public square about us the religious leadership and civic engagement project aims to harness the power of university students, religious leaders and their congregations across the united states and the world to rejuvenate commitment to civic dialogue, civic engagement, and democracy. We need to think seriously about what digital democracy has to offer, says bill thompson. Essays on politics, society, and culture in contemporary china china 2020. Bandurski 2012 provides an english translation for the following excerpt. Perhaps more important, however, is the heated debate it spurred within china on the desirability of democratic reform. In addition, he serves as professor and director of the china center for comparative politics and economics in beijing. He has published extensively on political philosophy and chinas political reform. China in the 21st century maxwell school of citizenship. Essays on politics, society, and culture in contemporary china by yu keping brookings institution press, 2008, 240 pp. Essays on politics, society and culture in contemporary china.
Yu keping so begins democracy is a good thing, an essay of great influence that has commanded attention and provoked discussion throughout the world. He is also a professor of politics and director of the center for chinese government innovations at at peking university. Grassroots democracy, which directly relates to the political interests of the public masses, is the foundation of democracy more generally, and its significance is obvious. Yu keping and good governance approach yu keping is the leading contributor to the chinese discussions on good governance. Globalization and changes in chinas governance brill. We argue that traction on these issues is best obtained by focusing. Chinas road towards democratic governance ash center.
This, in turn, does not bode well for democratic reforms. Democracy is a good thing pulls back the curtain to reveal ongoing discourse in chinese political and intellectual circles, discussions that will go a long way toward determining the future of the. The iraq war is the most important thing going on in the world and in this country right now. Democracy is good for everyone, but there are quite a few countries that have been cobbled together artificially, or are far too big and can only be ruled dictatorially in their present form. Chapter 1 democracy is a good thing and chapter 3 the 17th party congress and the agenda for chinas political reform. I expect that students will participate in class discussions with civility and respect toward others viewpoints.
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