What is political science? Political relations with everyone how?
"Speaking of politics, many people first think ideology or court politics. Politics likely to be considered ' political preaching skill ' or ' Palace politics guide ', in which there is a great deal of misunderstanding ... ... In fact, everyone from the cradle to the grave is inseparable from politics. Like it or not, politics affects everybody's life. "Pack up and said. After following the collapse of the democratic politics, and taught at the school of international relations and public affairs, Fudan University young teacher Dr Bao Gangsheng, in November this year has also published a new book, the politics of Liberal, working on basic knowledge in politics.
This handout processing works, in layman's language "grounded" to tell readers the politics is a kind of knowledge, the importance of it where, what ordinary readers and political relationships, as well as how to think in politics to think about political issues around.
A few days ago, surging up received the news in an interview, discusses the necessity of General popularity in political science, and from the political point of the Western world faced challenges, governance and political violence and other topics.
Politics is a key to opening world door
Surging News: last year, your academic monographs of the collapse of the democratic political system explain the causal mechanisms of collapse of some democracies in history, access to scholars and readers ' attention and praise. You recently published the political General is a political science popularization work, what is your purpose for writing this work? In China, the public's awareness of politics to what extent?
Gang Bao rose: a country can achieve good governance, often associated with the level of development of social sciences in the country. Three basic disciplines of the social sciences political science, economics and sociology, respectively. A country can achieve good governance in the public sector, to a large extent depends on the accumulation of social State, power, political system, institutional, governance and citizenship-related knowledge, and this knowledge is provided mainly in the discipline of political science.
It is well known that economics has gained widespread popularity in our life, knowledge is not only less popular than economics and political science, but also easily misunderstood by the public. In the view of many people who had never been exposed to politics, politics is not the same as research "Palace politics" or "power craft", is similar to the ideological education.
At present, in the modern political sense in public popularity, probably just equivalent to knowledge in economics degree of popularity in the early 1990 of the 20th century. Therefore, as a political scientist, I feel the need to do some knowledge of modern politics. The politics of liberal was my political scientist at Fudan University open course notes compiled on the basis of, hoping to let the reader in a relatively short time to master the modern politics of common sense, and gradually form a system of political thought, and can better understand China and the world of politics.
On February 22, 2015, Ukraine Kyiv, European leaders and senior officials to participate in the "dignity March" to commemorate Ukraine crisis anniversary. Oriental IC data
Surging News: United States second President John Adams once said: "to our kids the freedom to study mathematics and philosophy, I must study politics and war. "So, political science knowledge to our understanding of the world is going to help?
Gang Bao l: politics is open to understand a key to the gate of the world. If you leave the politics, the world will become more difficult to understand.
For example, Eastern European countries Ukraine 2013-2015 ups and downs in the political situation. How to understand Ukraine's political crisis? Why Ukraine's sharp swings in domestic politics? You know, in Ukraine shortly before the outbreak of the political crisis, China and its leader Viktor Yanukovych signed a number of important agreements. If there is no expertise in political science and comparative politics, we cannot understand Ukraine what's going, it is difficult to advance the effective assessment of the possible political risks in the country.
For example, in Latin America, Venezuela is closely related to China, but the country's domestic political situation some major new changes may occur at any time. Chinese Government and Venezuela some political parties of the country to cooperate more closely, a lot of investment and financial lending program. However, if Venezuela's domestic politics, some kind of transition, we will face considerable risks? Venezuela's situation we also need more from the perspective of political science to understand.
To take another example, appears frequently in recent years United States Government faced "fiscal cliff" argument, fall of 2013 President Obama even had to close part of United States federal agencies. Government forced to temporarily close, one possibility is that Congress did not approve the President's budget, and one possibility is the President of the Congress did not approve of the Government's debt ceiling. How to understand the United States fiscal cliff? I saw many scholars from the angle of Economics to explain this phenomenon, usually referred to United States form of government debt and current situation, in particular the interpretation of the relevant economic and financial data.
Of course, the economics are important, but a full understanding of this phenomenon will also need political science perspective, especially the focus on the political system. United Kingdom public debt than the United States, why the United Kingdom Government was forced to temporarily close the event did not occur? This requires taking into account the British and American political system is different. United States is the presidential system, Executive power and the legislative power of checks and balances, Democrat Barack Obama is the most powerful politician in the world, but each of the Congressional restriction on government budgets everywhere in the country--especially now, when most of the Republican control of both houses of Congress, it is even more so.
United Kingdom is a parliamentary, legislative and executive bodies, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet where the ruling party usually controls the majority in the Commons, so the Prime Minister's Bill and the budget are more likely to pass Congress without interruption. Therefore, different political system could lead to different political outcomes. If a person does not understand that knowledge, even watching international news all day, or to settle abroad, may not grasp the key issues.
Understand two important political dimension
Surging News: recently, the United States political scientist Francis Fukuyama in the country is very hot. Fukuyama believes that United States political system has gone to decay, becomes a "no rule". Others argue that, as a "model of democracy," the United States seems to be facing the trend of more and more rigid separation of powers. What do you think about this issue?
Gang Bao rise: understanding politics usually has two important dimensions: first, the country dimension, the other is the dimension of the separation of powers. Apparently more concerned with political power ever during operation efficiency, effective decision-making and efficient implementation, stressed that the Government should have the ability to do more things. The latter more effective control for the political power in the process, compliance with the rule and the rule of law to achieve effective checks and balances, more stressed the need to prevent the Government from doing bad things. In fact, both the need to achieve a balance. Overemphasize the risks of government efficiency while ignoring checks and balances is that political power is likely to spin out of control. Conversely, too much emphasis on the separation of powers and overlook the Government's efficiency of risk is that Government may not be able to take effective action.
Fukuyama is clear, in modern times, from Locke's "two-right separation" Montesquieu's "separation of powers", separation of powers of the Western world there is a strong tradition, which also affects the subsequent United States. Can be said to some extent, United States more stressed, this system is the separation of powers, instead of government efficiency. Fukuyama believes that United States has now become a sort of "veto system"-simply put, excessive separation of powers from the Executive to the legislature to the judicial, and makes the United States Administration has been unable to act effectively. Fukuyama said in his new book in 2014, United States this "no rule" has become a "self-fulfilling prophecy" – we presuppose that the Government likely to do bad things, and then design a variety of checks and balances to limit Government, finally found the Government doing nothing.
Then, Fukuyama's views can be set up? I think so far, at least, still can't get the United States Government efficacy conclusions. Was 10 years ago, Francis Fukuyama in the booklet entitled ' State-building ', also believes that United States is characterized by a small range of functions of the State, but in the context of this small, very strong performance of State or Government. Simply put, 10 years ago, Francis Fukuyama believes that United States was "smaller government with strong Government" mode. Then, just 10 years later, the United States could make such a big change? I'm afraid not.
Scholars believe that the United States system might fall into serious crisis. In my opinion, this judgment is not accurate. For now, and compared to the other States or other countries in the Western world, United States economic system is still more dynamic, innovative activity is also very active. At present, all major institutions publish research reports on global capital markets, the United States Economic Outlook is more optimistic than on the EU economy. Which is also available from the past two years, with the exception that the Yuan outside the major global currency changes seen in the exchange rate with the US dollar – behind the sharp rise in the dollar is relatively good economic potential and prospects.
If extended to the whole of the Western world to explore, my tendency to think so far did not suffer the so-called Western world on the whole "democratic governance", but they face a number of challenges.
Challenges to democratic Western world
Surging News: you here the "Western world" what do range mean? What's the specific challenges faced?
Gang Bao l: here mainly refers to the European Union and North America, Australia, and New Zealand, and Japan joined in the camp of those countries, which include geographic, but also cultural and political economy of the Western world.
Specifically, the Western democratic world today faces challenges from two aspects. The first in the Western world welfare, finance, debt and faced problems on the growth momentum. Since the 20th century, from the era of the industrial revolution in the West "market-oriented economy" gradually shifted later "welfare-oriented economy", a large number of systems and policies are built around welfare and redistribution. So the question subsequently emerged: a welfare society can sustain? Economic growth is high enough to maintain the welfare model? If economic growth is weak, but people have high welfare and redistribution requirements, financial and debt problems will emerge. Today, from the United States to a large number of countries of the European Union in financial and debt issues are already in some sort of trouble. Through political-economic model of the Western world to recover itself from this dilemma, is a substantial challenge.
In fact, in this round of sovereign debt crisis in the Western world there are two regions of exceptional merit. One is Australia and New Zealand. Australia in the 20th century, 80 's and 90 's have experienced a severe financial crisis. After subsequent significant adjustments, and now Australia bonds as a percentage of GDP is relatively low in the Western world, also much lower than in China. The other Nordic countries. Northern Europe is a model of high welfare society, but they are able to correctly deal with the sovereign debt problem. In recent years, the market reform-oriented is obvious in the Nordic countries. This means that, at least in the developed countries have the ability to pass system and adjustment of policies to solve or mitigate the benefits, financial and debt problems. Of course, parts of the West the situation is not optimistic, but Australia and the Nordic countries provide at least a possible reference.
In addition to economic and financial issues, another problem is that the Western world's population trends and the challenge of ethnic-religious subcultural pluralism. The problem is more complex.
Surging News: Yes, but it is also very important. 2015 seems to be no peace in Europe in the second half, from immigration to the humanitarian crisis, and then to Paris in November suffered a serious terrorist attack, problems in this area. For the modern world of freedom, democracy and the rule of law in Europe, is now struggling with population issues and Asia: cultural pluralism?
Gang Bao rose: for the European Community, population trends and ethnic-religious subcultural pluralism was associated with. In accordance with the understanding of the past, Western European and North American countries used to be a higher degree of internal homogeneity of society, people's political culture and core values are similar, the "freedom and democracy the rule of law and market economy" mode there is a general acceptance.
However, Western countries there have been significant changes in the population structure, population structure in the multiethnic, multi-religious composition increased dramatically. For example, since the 20th century, as blacks, Spain language, Muslim population higher birth rate, coupled with such factors as immigration, population white descendants of the population of Europe has been on the decline.
According to population statistics, today the United States, and Canada, and France's Muslim population share at 7% to 15% of this document. Taking into account their population growth rates are significantly higher than white Europeans, if current birth rates in different ethnic-religious unchanged for half a century in the future, these will be significant changes in the population structure of the country. Demography often regarded as a generation of 27, so half a century just two generations, two generations of people will change a lot.
This will bring many new problems. Is the concept of political culture. When the structure after the full diversity of the population, are all major social groups of "freedom and democracy the rule of law and market economy" model has a basic identity? It is related to the stability of the current system in the Western world. Another Asian cultural pluralism within many countries could lead to more conflict. Studies suggest that those within the high degree of ethnic, religious and linguistic diversity of the community, and more likely to lead to social and political conflict. United States renowned political scientist, Yale University Professor Robert a. Dahl mentioned as early as in the 1970 of the 20th century, in an Asian cultural diversity Division of serious social, maintain a degree of autonomy, the bulls of the democratic polity of the pressure will be even greater.
So, how to solve this problem? United States practice is with citizenship identity beyond ethnic-religious identity. United States legal system provides that everyone--regardless of their ethnicity, religion, language, skin tags – should have the same basic rights of citizenship. So far, the United States's practices are generally more successful. However, with the change of population structure, will next face new challenges? This is still an undecided number.
The past, Anglo-American countries on these issues in General adhering to the principles of liberalism, the principle of respect for diversity, different social groups can make a big difference, faith may be different, but not in the way they are in the same political community, and exchanges and cooperation on the basis of equal rights. But the question is, if there is a group in a society, they cannot accept the existence of some differences of belief, to force others to obey their own convictions, will British and American liberal politics as a whole in principle constitutes a threat? On this issue, the conservative's policy is to stick to the original national culture and to restrict immigration. I personally think that there is no perfect answer to this question. Is that the endless stream of new phenomena, continually challenge the limit of human thought and problem solving skills.
October 19, 2015, 12:30, Aegean Sea carrying refugees boats ashore. Journalists surging ch data
Surging News: EU there towards universal homogeneous State possible? This year's refugee crisis and the challenges of extremism could not help worrying whether the European Union will we go back?
Gang Bao rise: the European Union is an interesting example. If you go back 200 or 300 years ago, we will find that, when European countries with social diversity is huge. At that time, today the majority of European countries have not yet formed, all social and political institutions and democratic processes are very different. Geo-political and religious strife, tend to become an important cause of political conflict and even war in Europe. Such as
Fruit go back 100 years, we will find that major countries of the European Union today is still in an extremely brutal war. If the Earth only European territory, the EU constitutes a microcosm of humanity as a whole. They each other huge differences in history, both conflicts and wars between each other, and Exchange and cooperation. Europe is in the process of continuous integration, closer to each other, until the birth of the European Community and later the European Union. So, about human society to a great attempt of the European Union--could each other on the basis of different nation States a step farther, creating a more "Datong" supranational order, I would like to show the possibility of the European Union.
Although the EU face many serious challenges today, but if you take a long-term view to look at the thing-50 years or 100 years time to study, the European Union is probably the first human to achieve some kind of supra-national Government, compared with other continents within institutional arrangements to achieve more consistent. If only the EU countries, Germany philosopher Immanuel Kant envisaged in the 18th century "age of perpetual peace" have arrived in Europe. Although there are various problems within the EU, or even facing backwards on the various critical systems, but we have been unable to imagine war between the major EU countries. This may be relatively long-term vision of mankind's political prospects.
On November 13, 2015, Paris, France, shooting near batakelan Theatre in Paris. China Visual information
Human violence continues to subside ultimately depends on the "expansion of freedom"
Surging News: many violent conflicts within States, to Paris terrorism attacks, political violence today was a lot of concern. On the perspective of politics, how should we think about "violence"? Violence will become the next era of normality, become part of our world order? Violence can it disappear from human life?
Gang Bao l: violence has always been part of political life, human is never free from the shadow of violence. Domestic political science textbooks or general political science readings often touching on this issue, I used a separate chapter in the general political science to discuss "revolution, violence and civil war" and other issues. Elective how to read the collected works of the
Prevalence but I do not believe that violence is the next era or new world order rule. Humans are forgetful, prone to overestimate the impact of current events on our lives, and may ignore an important trend in the history. 100 years ago the human doing? Humanity is in the midst of the first world war at that time. Today, few countries beset by civil war, beset by internal armed conflict, including the United States, and France and many countries, China also constantly exposed to terrorist attacks, but these conflicts the scale and the war 100 years ago are completely incomparable.
If we humans each year since the 20th century, statistics of the number of deaths due to violence, then you will see "a war" and "war" are two peaks, since the second half of the 20th century, the annual number of deaths from violence simply cannot be compared. After the end of the cold war, parts of the globe is rendered partial momentum of the intensification of armed conflict, but did not show a continued increase in violence trend. Of course, due to geo-political conflict or clash of civilizations, whether violence in the future political life of human beings will show a substantial increase, at least for now it is difficult to predict, or say that there is no clear trend.
In fact, in the last two hundred or three hundred years, humanity's bottom line has been raised on violence in political life, everyday politics of "violent" has become an important trend in human society--at least at first is a higher degree of the major trends in national political civilization. Today, different countries in politics and there are still major differences on issues such as violence, but certain basic consensus in deepening. For instance, the "rule of law" and "human rights" in the second half of the 20th century has been a global consensus. Even as Iran's theocratic system state constitutional provisions also stressed the fundamental values of human freedom and equality in political life.
My point is, in the long term, human violence continues to subside ultimately depends on the "expansion of freedom." Freedom is not only here in terms of internal order, and in terms of international order. From domestic order view, different of views and belief are can get basic of respect, basic of right get effective of protection, domestic political order of building more to rely on Yu legal of program, people can in this legal program of based Shang on political authority formed a inside of identity and voluntary of obey--all these are is domestic free order of part, also helps cut domestic political life in the of potential violence.
Judging from the international order, in perpetual peace, Kant in this important document foresees some kind of long-term future of mankind: If civil order is firmly established on the Foundation of freedom, but also from State to State by way of mutually beneficial cooperation, then the temptation to use violence to resolve problems will be greatly reduced. This is the ideal of mankind the prospects for a new international order. Just today, the road to achieve this prospect very distant.
Of course, humanity is in the political life of perfect utopia. Humans may never be able to solve the violence problem but unable to reduce violence to end violence. In the political sphere, a "perfect equilibrium permanently" is perhaps just an illusion.
