Ren Yong: Promoting the Continuous Innovation and Development of Governance Theory Research
The overall goal of further comprehensively deepening reform is to continue improving and developing the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and to promote the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity. Since the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee explicitly proposed this overall goal, China’s philosophy and social science circles have taken the modernization of governance as a vital proposition for in-depth research, yielding numerous new achievements in domestic governance theory. Contemporary China is undergoing the most extensive and profound social transformation in our nation's history, and is currently engaged in the most ambitious and unique practical innovation in human history. By adhering to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, governance theory research based on these new practices exhibits vigorous vitality and broad prospects for innovation, contributing to the construction of China's autonomous knowledge system.
Providing Rich Resources for Innovation in Governance Theory Research
Since the dawn of the New Era, our Party has led the people in advancing the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity. This process has achieved many new advances, breakthroughs, and accomplishments in both theory and practice, constituting the most fundamental and important source of knowledge for innovative governance theory research.
General Secretary Xi Jinping, proceeding from the overall and long-term perspective of the development of the Party and the state's undertakings, has delivered a series of important discourses on promoting the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity, achieving many significant theoretical innovations and breakthroughs. For instance, there is profound reflection at the historical level: General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "our country's state governance system today is the result of long-term development, gradual improvement, and endogenous evolution [1] based on our historical heritage, cultural traditions, and socio-economic development." This clarified where our state governance system came from and strengthened our resolve and confidence in perfecting it. There is systematic planning at the holistic level: General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "we must completely understand and grasp the overall goal of comprehensively deepening reform. This is a whole composed of two sentences: namely, improving and developing the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and promoting the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity. Our direction is the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics." This defined the basic direction and fundamental requirements for the overall layout of governance modernization. There is the design of implementation paths: General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "the rule of law is an important reliance for the state governance system and governance capacity" and "the system of the rule of law is the backbone project of the state governance system." Thus, the construction of the rule of law has become a vital path forizing governance. Furthermore, there are scientific methods at the operational level: General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized "persisting in systemic governance, law-based governance, comprehensive governance, and governance at the source [2]," creatively constructing a governance operational mechanism with Chinese characteristics and achieving all-around coordination across governance modes and links. In practice, our Party has deepened the reform of Party and state institutions, improved the system of institutions for Party leadership, perfected the socialist system of laws with Chinese characteristics, and enhanced the national security system. Deeply advancing the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity has become a key component of the Party's practice of governing the country in the New Era.
The theoretical and practical achievements of our Party in promoting governance modernization provide the correct direction and rich research subjects for governance theory, while also raising many unique questions that can serve as points of origin for innovation. This helps researchers break out of the inherent perspectives of Western governance theory, allowing them to explore and analyze governance laws from the high-efficiency governance practices of a large developing country. It facilitates the extraction of subjective, original, and signature concepts, viewpoints, and theories, forming a governance discourse rooted in Chinese soil, based on Chinese national conditions, and aimed at solving Chinese problems.
Characteristics of China's Governance Theory Research in the New Era
Since the New Era began, based on all-encompassing and deep-level governance practices, Chinese researchers have strived to overcome the defects of previous governance studies. Keeping pace with the comprehensive deepening of reform, they have promoted the continuous deepening and expansion of governance theory research, making significant progress in research topics, methods, depth, and the transformation of results.
Practicality has been enhanced. In promoting the modernization of state governance, our Party emphasizes both top-level design and the method of "pilot programs first," excelling at extracting experience from the grassroots. This practice-oriented approach guides researchers to focus on the colorful practical scenarios in the process of state governance modernization. Examples include the reform of Party and state institutions, the reform of the household registration (hukou) system, the implementation of the negative list system for market access, and local explorations of digital governance. From these, researchers summarize and extract empirical materials and research topics with Chinese characteristics, striving for academic construction across multiple dimensions such as state and society, government and market, and central and local relations. This has pushed governance theory research to break through the old rut [3] of the theory-practice dichotomy, making it one of the most active fields in political science and public administration. Governance theory emerged in Western countries around the 1990s, primarily centering on the relations between the state, society, and the market. It aimed at the sustainability of social order and the maximization of public interest, focusing on the acquisition and operation of public power and the interaction of relevant actors. The rise of Western governance theory stemmed from the needs of administrative and management practices in those contexts. However, fundamental differences exist between Western countries and China regarding governance frameworks, goals, and operational mechanisms. If Chinese researchers limit themselves to using Western theories to explain Chinese practices, they will not only fail to reach sustainable conclusions but will eventually lose their original drive for academic innovation.
Systemic expansion. The governance of a large country has its own characteristics. Our Party plans and promotes governance modernization from a holistic level, avoiding piecemeal adjustments or fragmented repairs [4], thereby ensuring the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity forms an aggregate effect. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "A country's governance system and governance capacity are the concentrated expression of its institutions and its capacity to execute those institutions. The two complement each other; neither is sufficient on its own to govern a country." From the very start of comprehensively deepening reform, our Party has coordinated the modernization of the governance system and governance capacity. Every country has its own governance system, but governance capacity varies due to differences in objective conditions and subjective efforts. Introducing governance capacity into governance theory helps resolve theoretical dilemmas in Western governance theory—such as difficulties in attributing responsibility or poor feasibility and effectiveness—and guides the academic community to create a unique Chinese governance discourse around the integration of system and capacity. Presently, in terms of theoretical sources, Marxist state theory, the "people as the foundation" (minben) [5] thought of fine traditional Chinese culture, the concept of "common governance of all under heaven" (tianxia gongzhi), the administrative traditions of "republicanism" (gonghe) and "consultation" (shangliang), and the political wisdom of "inclusivity and seeking common ground while reserving differences" have all been integrated into governance research, enriching the framework for theoretical analysis. In terms of breadth, research has become more multi-dimensional, spanning from Party building, government governance, and social governance to urban, rural, frontier, and global governance. The systemic nature of governance practice has prompted the academic community to move away from fragmented research tendencies, striving instead to generate a relatively complete system of governance knowledge.
Autonomy has increased. Since governance theory entered the field of vision of Chinese scholars, they have expounded upon it from various aspects based on the actual needs of reform, development, and stability, combined with the Chinese context. Although the Chinese academic community previously conducted research on the state, society, market, and their relationships, these studies often explored only one side of governance or focused on introducing and adapting foreign theories; subjectivity and originality were insufficient. In current Chinese governance research, foundational, constructive, and integrated knowledge are growing and reinforcing one another. Regarding foundational knowledge, a typical example is the increased emphasis on New Era Party building within research on the party-state and government. As the governing party, the Communist Party of China is both the leader in constructing the state governance system and the pioneer and practitioner in enhancing governance capacity; it is the fundamental guarantee for the "Governance of China" (Zhongguo zhi zhi). Party leadership and building have become crucial perspectives for explaining China’s governance vitality and efficacy. Constructive knowledge is generated from new practices; for example, research on government responsibilities based on institutional reforms, and efficiency studies centered on the "At Most One Visit" [6] administrative reform. Integrated knowledge synthesizes foundational and constructive knowledge, utilizing the internal logic of Chinese governance for deduction, induction, and extraction—such as research on the "People's City" [7] concept. The People’s City concept transcends Western urban governance ideas, responding to fundamental questions of urban governance with Chinese values and solutions.
Issues Requiring Attention in Governance Theory Research
On the new journey in the New Era, facing the grand practice of comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through a Chinese path to modernization, we should focus on the following issues to continue innovating governance theory.
Research governance issues under the background of Chinese-path modernization. Advancing Chinese-path modernization is a systemic project. Turning its Chinese characteristics into successful practices and unique advantages requires long-term effort, and this process will undoubtedly generate more innovations in governance practice. We must stay close to the historical evolution, Chinese characteristics, essential requirements, and major principles of Chinese-path modernization, while integrating new trends in governance in the digital age to extract vital topics. Theoretical breakthroughs can be sought by cutting into major relationships such as economy and society, government and market, efficiency and equity, vitality and order, and development and security.
Research the relationship between institutional construction and governance. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Reform and opening up in the New Era have many new connotations and characteristics, a very important one of which is the greater weight of institutional construction." Through long-term effort, we have constructed a linked institutional framework covering all aspects of Party, state, and military governance, as well as internal, foreign, and defense affairs. This has laid a solid foundation for better transforming institutional advantages into governance efficacy. Institutions are the fundamental basis for governance, while governance is the concrete implementation of institutions. For instance, principles like top-level design, holistic planning, and "establishing the new before breaking the old [8]" need in-depth theoretical study. At the concrete level, we can explore institutional generation, institutional culture, execution, and coordination, revealing the internal mechanisms by which institutional advantages are converted into governance effectiveness.
Research the relationship between modern Chinese civilization and governance. A country's governance system is determined by its historical heritage and cultural traditions. At the Symposium on Cultural Inheritance and Development, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the "Second Integration" [9] "allows us to fully utilize the precious resources of fine traditional Chinese culture within a broader cultural space to explore future-oriented theoretical and institutional innovations." In its 5,000-year history, the Chinese nation created a splendid civilization and accumulated rich governing wisdom, laying the cultural and spiritual foundation for the continuous evolution and endogenous improvement of our state governance system from traditional to modern times. The prominent continuity, innovativeness, unity, inclusiveness, and peaceful nature of Chinese civilization are all highly theoretically correlated with state governance. Advancing innovation in governance theory must be closely integrated with the vivid practice of building a modern Chinese civilization. Once a deep integration of the two is achieved theoretically, it will help us grasp the cultural roots of governance within Chinese-path modernization and provide a more abundant spiritual impetus for the modernization of state governance.